Destination: Beautiful
by Suspension
Summary: Zack struggles to make sense of things as Cody struggles to regain the life he had before the shooting. But how far will Zack go after receiving threatening letters from someone he thought was out of their lives forever? Sequel to Say What You Mean.[DONE]
1. I'm a mess, I guess

Alright everyone. If you haven't read "Say What You Mean", you need to backtrack and read that first. Otherwise, you will not understand what is going on in this story.

I hope you all read this with an open mind. It will be a little different than its predecessor, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own TSL. I own officer James Peters.

**Chapter 1**

_**I'm a mess, I guess**_

_"Zack!" Cody screamed._

_Zack ripped his eyes away from Felix and turned to face his brother. Cody was staring at his hands. To Zack's horror, Cody was starting to fade away. Cody looked up at Zack, completely helpless._

_"NO! Cody, wait!" he screamed as the tears fell. He thrashed around desperately, trying to throw his body toward the cage, but he still could not move. Zack held his hand out to his brother. "Cody, please!" he wailed, as Cody also held out a hand._

_"Zack..." he heard Cody whisper, just as he faded out of sight. Zack began to hyperventilate._

_"NO! Cody! Wait! Come back!" Zack began to sob, as Felix howled with laughter behind him._

Zack opened his eyes and looked around, panting. He sat up slowly and noticed he was on the floor, with his blanket twisted around his legs. Wiping beads of sweat off his forehead, Zack looked over toward his brother's bed, where Cody was sleeping soundly. He let out a relieved sigh and stood up, throwing his blanket onto his bed.

"It was just a dream, Zack, get over it," Zack mumbled, sitting on the edge of his bed and watching his brother's chest rise and fall. He looked at the clock next to Cody's bed, which read 3 o'clock a.m.

"Oh man," he groaned. Walking to the bathroom, Zack turned on the light and leaned against the bathroom counter, looking at his disheveled reflection in the mirror.

"You gotta snap out of it, Buddy. It's been over a week since he got out of the hospital...Cody's fine," he said into the mirror. He stared hard at himself, noticing the creases in his forehead. He tried to relax his face, but the creases were still there, mocking him.

"Stupid," Zack whispered, wiping his hand over his forehead. He splashed some warm water on his face, then turned the light off and walked back to his room. Stopping short of his own bed, Zack looked at Cody again. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind," he thought to himself before climbing into Cody's bed, careful not to wake him. Wrapping his arms around his sleeping twin, as he had done every night since Cody came home, Zack felt a little safer and drifted off to sleep.

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Cody awoke the next morning and looked to his right. There was Zack, sound asleep, holding onto his arm. Shaking his head, Cody lightly patted his brother's shoulder and sat up after slipping out of Zack's grasp. Grabbing his crutches, he walked out into the living room and saw his mother and father sitting at the table. Kurt looked up from his coffee and smiled.

"Hey, buddy, how you feeling?" Kurt asked. Carey turned around and jumped out of her chair.

"Do you need any help, honey?" she asked, rushing over to him.

Cody was punching a pillow in his mind.

"Mom, really, I'm ok. You don't have to jump out of your skin every time I come into the room, ok?" he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I know I get a little carried away," Carey said, kissing him back. She walked into the kitchen and took a box of waffles out of the freezer. "I've got blueberry, your favorite," she said, shaking the box happily.

"Thanks, mom," Cody said, sitting down next to his father and leaning his crutches against the back of his chair.

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Zack woke up and stretched his arms, looking over to his side. "Cody?" he asked hoarsely. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and saw that he was the only one in the room. Panicking, he jumped out of the bed, his breathing quickening, and burst into the living room.

"Cody!" he yelled, looking around frantically.

"Zack, over here."

Zack turned his head to the table and took a deep breath. There was Cody, his mouth full of blueberry waffle.

"You ok?" Cody asked, swallowing his mouthful.

"Yeah...sorry," Zack said, placing a hand on the couch to keep himself steady. Letting out a long breath, he walked over and sat at the table, next to his brother.

"You sure you're ok, buddy?" Kurt asked Zack, looking worried.

"Yeah...I was just having a bad dream," Zack said with a fake smile. His mother walked over and placed a plate of waffles in front of him.

"You're still having nightmares, honey?" Carey asked with a voice full of concern. Zack twisted his face in annoyance as he drowned his waffles in syrup.

"It's nothing, mom. I'm okay, I promise," he said, taking a huge bite so he wouldn't have to talk anymore. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Carey walked swiftly over, opening it to reveal officer James Peters.

"Hi, James," Carey said, giving the officer a hug.

"How are you, Carey?" James asked as Carey shrugged her shoulders.

"Better today, thanks," she replied. James came in and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, James!" Zack said excitedly, getting up to high five the officer.

"What's up, bud?" James said happily. Then he looked at Cody.

"Feeling better today, Cody?" he asked, walking over and shaking Cody's hand. Cody smiled and nodded his head. James turned to Kurt, who stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans.

"James," Kurt said, holding out a hand, which James took.

"Kurt. That was really great of Mr. Moseby to let you stay in a suite here for a while," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was," Kurt said tersely. Zack glanced at his father uneasily.

"So, what brings you by? Any new developments in Cody's case?" Kurt added, sitting down and getting back to his coffee.

"Well actually, I have some Red Sox tickets, and I thought the boys would want to join me," James said excitedly. Zack's face lit up.

"Serious?" he asked loudly. He and Cody looked at each other with huge smiles.

"I don't know if Cody's ready for something that rough yet," Kurt said, glancing at Carey. Cody began to protest.

"But I'm just gonna be sitting there! Please? Mom?" he said in a hurried voice.

"Kurt, I'm sure they would be fine. James will take good care of them," Carey said, putting the waffles back into the freezer. Cody clapped his hands together.

Zack stole a look at his father again and noticed him balling his fist under the table.

"Well, you're their mother," he said, averting his eyes to the morning paper.

"Great, why don't you boys get ready?" James said, handing Cody his crutches.

Zack walked behind his brother to their bedroom. Stealing one last, confused look at his father, he shut the door and began getting ready for the game.

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Well, there you have it. Chapter 1. I hope you liked it, and I hope you review to let me know what you think!


	2. Making useless progress

Alright, maybe we're not too sure about this sequel? I promise I will do my best to make it as wonderful as possible.

This story wouldn't have been written without the help of **SillverMedal**, so thank you for all your reviewing! This entire story is dedicated to you!

And to **CRIMSON HAZE**: You and Sillver were the most excited about the sequel to "Say What You Mean", so I hope you do enjoy what I have to offer.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TSL. I own officer James Peters.

**Chapter 2**

_**Making useless progress**_

James, Zack and Cody sat right behind the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park. Every now and then, Cody would happily call down to his favorite players, who would then look up and wave to the teen.

"I don't care if they're losing, this is a great game!" Cody said brightly into Zack's ear. Zack smiled, enjoying his brother's laughing and cheering. But he couldn't help the constant urge to look over his shoulder whenever he heard an overjoyed fan snicker, or when someone dropped their soda and cursed loudly.

"What are you doing? What's wrong?" Zack asked, jumping out of his seat when Cody lifted his crutches from the railing.

"It's ok, I'm just going to get a hotdog," Cody said, laughing at Zack's worried face.

"I told you I would get it for you, bud," James said, extending his hand to help Cody rise from his seat.

"I want to do it myself," he said confidently. "Besides, it's right through that hallway," Cody said, getting himself into the aisle and pointing directly behind the seats.

"I want to come," Zack said, hopping over James's legs and following Cody. He looked uneasily at the snack stand which lay about 20 feet away.

"Zack, you don't have to," Cody said, exasperated.

"I want a hotdog too, and you wouldn't be able to carry it," Zack lied, making his way to the snack stand with Cody following close behind him. Getting in line, Zack closed his eyes and began to breathe slowly.

"Deep breaths," he told himself. "In...and out...in...and out..."

"You gonna move up or what?"

Zack snapped out of his trance and turned around to see a middle aged man standing behind him with his arms folded.

"Where's Cody?" Zack said loudly, feeling his stomach twist around in knots.

"I don't know who Cody is, but if you don't move up, I'm gonna pass you," the man said, tapping his foot.

Zack pushed past the man and called Cody's name.

"Cody!"

He looked at all the faces in the crowd but didn't see Cody's. Feeling lightheaded, Zack stumbled into a young woman, who grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"You ok, sweetie?" she asked kindly.

"No, don't touch me!" Zack said, ripping himself away from the woman, who held her hands up in defense. Blinking rapidly and feeling his breath speed up significantly, Zack turned toward the bathroom and saw something horrifying. There was Felix, grinning madly at Cody, who was drinking from the water fountain. Eyes growing wide with fear and rage, Zack advanced.

"Get away from him, you murderer!" Zack yelled wildly, jumping on the madman in front of him and knocking him to the ground.

"Stay away from my brother!" he yelled again, thrashing his body against his target.

"Zack, stop!" Cody yelled, trying to pull Zack off of the man. But Zack just pushed Cody away, knocking him to the ground.

"You'll never take him!" Zack screamed, throwing wild punches with tears blurring his vision.

"Zack!"

Zack was swiftly being pulled away from his punching bag with his arms and legs still flailing around savagely.

"Get off me! He's gonna kill Cody! I'll kill him first!" Zack sobbed, struggling to free himself.

"Zack, stop right now! Stop."

Zack, beginning to calm, heard James' soothing voice in his ear. He stared at the man on the ground; the young blonde man that he had attacked. A young man with a look of terror on his face. Then Zack looked at the crowd that had gathered around him, watching their shocked faces and listening to their whispers.

"Isn't that the boy who was shot at the Tipton a few weeks ago?"

"That's the brother. The one with the crutches was shot."

"He's out of his mind."

Zack fell limp in James' arms and cried softly. "I saw him," he said, as James put him back on the ground.

"Stay here a minute, let me deal with the security," James said, walking over to the guard, who was talking to the young man that Zack had assaulted. He was holding out his badge.

"Zack?" Cody whispered, crawling over to where Zack sat, motionless. Zack looked up at Cody and began to shake violently.

"I saw him, Cody. He was right behind you," Zack whispered back, staring at Cody with glazed eyes.

"Who, Zack?" Cody asked, placing a hand on Zack's back and rubbing it gently. Zack grabbed onto Cody's arm, leaning closer to his twin.

"Him," he whispered again. Looking nervously over his shoulder and then back to Cody, Zack tried to catch his breath. He felt a wave of nausea flow over him and put his hand on his forehead, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Just then, James came walking back to where the boys were sitting and crouched down. "He's not pressing any charges, but we need to leave before he changes his mind," James said, looking at Cody. Cody nodded.

"I was getting tired anyway," he said, laughing bitterly.

"You ok, buddy?" James asked, patting Zack on the shoulder.

Zack, his face stained with tears, just sat where he was, holding onto Cody's arm. No one was going to take his brother away from him.

No one.

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I hope you liked it, even though it's a short one! Lots of Angst :)

Please review and let me know!


	3. But once again something's happened

No, I'm not dead. Although I feel like I am. School started yesterday, so it's going to be like this more often, and I apologize for that. I am so unorganized right now and my car broke down...and that's just one of the bad things that happened these past two weeks.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own TSL. I own officer James Peters and Felix and Lt. Ed Brooks, and the FBI agents I made up.

**Chapter 3**

_**But once again something's happened**_

"I'm not crazy!" Zack screamed as he stared at his mother, father, and James. He felt his body shaking as he saw their worried faces staring back at him from his living room couch.

"No one is saying you're crazy, Zack, we just think that maybe you should talk to someone," Kurt said, rising from his seat and moving closer to his son. Zack took a step back and curled his lip. Kurt, taken back by Zack's sudden display of hostility, stopped his descent and folded his arms.

"We're just trying to do what's best for you," he said.

Zack snarled. "You gave up that right when you left us 10 years ago," he said through his clenched teeth. He looked at his father's hurt expression and suddenly wished he could take back what he just said.

"You listen to me, young man," Carey said, getting to her feet and stepping dangerously close to him. "Your father and_ I _came that decision 10 years ago. Both of us, Zack, not just him. We are still your parents, and you will not speak to _either _one of us that way, do I make myself clear?"

Zack shifted his teary eyes toward the door, wishing to run out of the room as fast as he could; wishing to run as far away as possible. Anywhere but here...

"I said do I make myself clear?" Carey said loudly, bringing Zack's attention back to the present situation.

"Crystal," Zack spat before stomping into his bedroom and slamming the door.

Cody looked up from his science book and gave him a cautious smile. Zack just shook his head and plopped on his bed, burying his face into his pillow.

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James sat uncomfortably on the couch, watching as Carey and Kurt argued quietly.

"Don't blame this on me!" Carey hissed, shaking her finger wildly at her ex husband.

"I told you they should have stayed home. I _told _you it was too soon," Kurt growled. He folded his arms and tapped them with his fingers.

"Oh, come off it, Kurt! You have no right to criticize the way I raise my boys..."

"_Our_ boys, Carey. _Ours_," Kurt corrected.

"Look, this is my fault," James said suddenly, rising from the couch and clasping his hands together. "I want to apologize to both of you."

"James, this wasn't your fault," Carey said while running a hand over her forehead.

"Either way, I think I should leave; you know, get back to the station and check in about Felix Burson's trial," James said, grabbing his coat.

"Sounds like a great idea," Kurt said sarcastically, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge and gulping it down.

James sighed and hugged Carey goodbye, then walked out the door.

"What was that, Kurt?" Carey asked, pointing her finger to the door.

Kurt took another sip of his water, putting the cap on slowly. He wiped his mouth with his hand and stood still for a moment, watching Carey tap her foot impatiently.

"I'm going back to my suite. I'll talk to Zack later," he said in a low voice. Looking around as if he were disoriented, he walked to the door and opened it, only to be stopped by Carey's hand.

"Talk to me. Please," she said.

Kurt looked at her, and Carey noticed how his ordinarily vibrant eyes had clouded over. "I'll talk to Zack later," he repeated, leaving a stunned Carey standing by the door as he closed it.

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Cody was a little hesitant when he approached Zack's bed. It had been about 20 minutes since he walked in and threw himself on his bed, and Cody knew he should let his big brother cool down a little before trying to talk to him.

"Zack?" Cody whispered warily. He waited a moment, but received no answer. Moving closer, Cody heard his brother's light snoring.

"Ok, he's sleeping," he said, feeling dejected. He stared at Zack's face, which was tight and worried, even as he slept. Cody wanted nothing more than to protect him; to tell him everything was going to be ok. He knew that Zack wasn't the same person he had been before the shooting, and Cody found himself selfishly wishing that Zack would just wake up as his old self. The funny, sarcastic and overbearing big brother that he used to be.

Picking up a pencil, Cody scribbled something down on a small piece of paper. Laying the note on the end table next to Zack's bed, Cody hobbled out of the room on his crutches.

He needed to talk to someone.

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James eased his Taurus into a parking space right out front of the police station. After locking his door, he walked up the stairs and was greeted by one of his collegues.

"Hey, Peters, I didn't know you were on tonight," the officer said, waving to James as he neared the top.

"I'm not, Mac. I just came to see if there was anything new in the Burson trial," James said.

"Oh, man, I guess Ed didn't call you," Mac said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Call me about what?" James asked. He felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Man, the feds are here. They're taking over Felix's case," Mac said, almost apologetically.

James's head began to swim. "Dammit, Mac! Where's Ed?"

"In his office, but I don't know if..."

James didn't wait to hear the rest of Mac's sentence. He ripped open the doors to the station and took off down the hall to the lieutenant's office. Without knocking, James burst into the room, fuming.

"Why didn't you call me, Ed?" James said breathlessly. He noticed a man and a woman sitting opposite his boss, and asked "Are these the feds?"

Lt. Ed Brooks stood up from his desk and gestured to the FBI agents sitting before him. "James, this is Special Agent Reeves and Special Agent Larson from the Organized Crime unit," Ed said, as Reeves and Larson stood up, holding out their hands. James didn't shake either of them. Instead, he focused his attention back towards the lieutenant.

"I need to talk to you. Privately," he said, walking back out into the hall and putting his hands on his hips. Ed excused himself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What's this about?" James asked, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"James, the Feds are taking over Felix's case. They've been investigating him for years, and he has some information that could be helpful to another investigation," Ed explained, trying to lay a comforting hand on James's shoulder.

"They can't do this! They're gonna cut a deal with him, aren't they?" James said, wriggling out of Ed's grasp.

Ed sighed and rubbed his eyes. "They already have, James."

"What! When? Ed, they can't do this!" James yelled, kicking the chair next to him, which gained the attention of the rest of the department.

"They're the Government, they can do whatever they want!" Ed snapped, looking around. "Get back to work!" he yelled, causing everyone to jump and avert their eyes elsewhere.

James exhaled, then looked at Ed. "What kind of deal did they cut him?"

"James, I don't think we should go there."

"Tell me!"

Ed sighed again and responded, "He gives them the information they want. In turn, his sentence is reduced. Assault with a deadly weapon."

James laughed bitterly. "You're kidding me," he said, closing his eyes and throwing his head back. "He goes from attempted murder and robbery to assault with a deadly weapon? That's, oh I don't know...a 30 to 40 year difference? If he even does time?"

"James," Ed said remorsefully.

"What am I supposed to tell the Martin family? Those boys have been preparing for this trial for over a week," James said, more to himself than to the lieutenant.

"I heard what happened at the ball field. I warned you about getting too attached to those boys," Ed said, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, well, it's too late for that, Ed," James said, throwing out his hands and turning away from his boss.

"Why don't you take a few days off, James," Ed called out as James walked swiftly down the hallway.

"Why not?" James yelled sardonically, walking out of the building and getting into his car. He sat in silence for a moment before pulling out his cell phone.

"Hey, Sue? Listen, if you're not busy tonight, would you mind if I stopped by to pick you up? I really need someone to talk to."

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There were a lot of different viewpoints for this one. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought!


	4. What in the world should we do?

Well, the first week of school was an eventful one. I hope this year doesn't kill me. I tend to take on more than I should and end up stressing myself out really bad.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. I'm feeling a little more confident about this story. I was struck with an idea like a bolt of lightning...and it's going to be lots of fun to write!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own TSL or anything associated with it. I own the characters you don't recognize, because I made them up.

**Chapter 4**

_**What in the world should we do?**_

Cody placed his crutches against one of the park benches and sat down. He had stumbled across the street to Liberty park and was waiting for Maddie, who told him she would meet him there after she went on her break.

Closing his eyes, Cody felt the cool breeze brush his hair across his face. He took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.

"Enjoying life's simple pleasures?"

Cody smiled, recognizing Maddie's voice.

"You never really notice how beautiful the breeze feels until you almost lose the ability to enjoy it," he said.

"You know, you worry me sometimes," Maddie said, taking a seat next to Cody.

"Why?" he asked, opening his eyes and casting Maddie a bewildered look.

She leaned in and whispered, "Because you're wise beyond your years." Cody threw her a sideways smile.

"Well, it's not me you should worry about; it's Zack. At least, that's who _I'm_ worried about right now," Cody said, playing with the hem in his shirt.

"Is this about what happened at the game this morning?" Maddie asked, frowning.

"It's not just that..." Cody said, trailing off. He wanted to vent; to spill everything to Maddie. But it made him feel guilty to think that way, let alone tell someone about it.

"Cody, you can trust me," Maddie said kindly. She laid her hand on Cody's shoulder and he gave her a quick look.

"Promise you'll keep it to yourself?"

"I promise."

"I'm just scared for Zack. He's been having these nightmares, and he won't tell anyone what they're about. I heard Mom and Dad talking about it, and Mom said he was having them before...well, you know, before I woke up," Cody said, twisting his lips.

"How bad are these nightmares?" Maddie asked, tilting her head to the side, her eyes never leaving Cody.

"Every morning, when I wake up? He's next to me, with a death grip around my arm, or my neck, or my leg...and his face is all scrunched up; he looks like he's in pain. I never say anything...I mean,_ he _never says anything about it, so I don't ask. I asked him the first night, what he was dreaming about, and he got all defensive. So I stopped asking," Cody explained with a shrug.

"Does it bother you when he does that? I mean, crawl into bed with you?" Maddie asked.

"No, I don't mind it. He's been a little paranoid lately. I don't know how to help him, Maddie. He's always looking over his shoulder, and he won't let me go anywhere by myself. The only reason I'm here alone is because he fell asleep," Cody said, looking up at the hotel across the street.

"Maybe he should talk to someone. A counsler," Maddie suggested.

"Mom and Dad tried that already. He flipped out," Cody muttered, kicking a rock out from under his foot.

"I see," Maddie said, nodding her head.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to dump this all on you," Cody apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Cody. You're frustrated and you needed someone to talk to. I'm just sorry I don't have any comforting advice to give you," Maddie replied sadly.

"It feels good just to get it off my chest," Cody said, smiling at Maddie.

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the kids play by the old tree.

"Hey," Maddie nudged Cody. "How about some ice cream? My treat."

Cody nodded his head vigorously and pushed himself up off of the bench, plodding back across the street with Maddie.

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"No!"

Zack's eyes flew open as beads of sweat poured down his face.

"Not again..." he moaned, wiping his face with shaky hands. Sitting up, Zack looked over at Cody's bed.

Empty.

Closing his eyes, trying to push the panic back down his throat, Zack said to himself, "It's just a dream, Zack. Just a dream." He opened his eyes again, resting them on a note, which was on his endtable. Picking it up, he noticed it was from Cody.

_Zack, I went across the street to the park. Please don't worry. love Cody._

Zack threw the note to the floor and ran to his window. Looking towards the park, his eyes searched the grounds for a blonde boy on crutches.

Nothing.

Zack's mind began to race as a thousand horrific scenarios played out in it, causing him to start shaking again. He tried to reason with himself.

"Maybe he went for a walk...no, why would he do that when he can barely walk with those crutches? Why did he go by himself?" he thought, grabbing the back of his head and squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm going crazy," he said out loud, finally opening his eyes. Maybe his parents were right; maybe he did need to talk to someone.

Getting to his feet, Zack strode over to his door and opened it, revealing his mother and father, who were sitting on the couch. They turned around when he approached them.

"Oh, hey, Zack-o, have a good nap?" Kurt said lightly. Zack knew he was trying to play off what had happened earlier.

"Yeah, fine. Where's Cody?" he asked, looking at his hands, which were still shaking.

"He said he was going to the park with Maddie," Carey said.

"Oh," Zack said. Why would he be at the park with Maddie?

"Zack, would you mind if we talked for a minute?" Kurt asked, eyeing Carey. Zack rolled his eyes; he knew what that look meant. Why couldn't he have just said, "Hey, Carey, would you mind giving Zack and me some privacy?"

As if on cue, the phone rang, startling Zack.

"Hello?" Carey answered. "Oh, lieutenant, how are you?" she asked, walking out of the suite and into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Zack stood rooted behind the couch, staring at his hands. Closing them tightly into fists, then opening them again didn't seem to help much.

"You wanna sit down, buddy?" Kurt asked, patting the cushion next to him.

Zack looked at his father, a mix of disgust and remorse playing on his face. He still felt guilty for what he said to him earlier, but he didn't want to admit it. Reluctantly, he sat down.

"What's up, Dad?" Zack asked, trying to seem as casual as possible.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Zack. I had no right to butt into your life," Kurt started, and Zack could see his father choosing his words carefully.

"Dad," Zack said, that guilty feeling washing over him again.

"No, Zack, let me finish," Kurt interrupted. "You're absolutely right when you said I haven't been here for you and your brother. I blame a lot of this on myself. But I want you to know that I'm gonna change all that, and I'm going to be here for you from now on."

Zack sat where he was, feeling a little uncomfortable. He loved his father, but he didn't know how to react to him sometimes.

"You can talk to me, ok?" Kurt added, smiling sincerely.

Zack nodded, forcing a smile across his face. Just then, Carey walked back into the room, the brim of her eyes shining with tears.

"Carey?" Kurt asked, concerned. Carey placed a hand over her face, unable to speak.

Zack looked at his mother, confused. Jumping when a loud crash of thunder sounded outside the window, he waited for his mother to regain the use of her voice.

"The FBI took over Felix's case," she whispered while shaking her head.

Zack's eyes grew wide. Leaping from his seat, he yelled, "What does that mean?"

"They reduced his sentence in exchange for some information on another case. He pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon, and there's not going to be a trial," Carey explained, wiping the tears from her face.

Zack didn't understand exactly what his mother was telling him, but he knew it wasn't good. "They can't do that!" he bellowed, backing away from his parents.

"Zack," Kurt said, trying to calm him down.

"No!" Zack yelled, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Breathing heavily, he took off running out of the suite, down the stairs, out of the hotel...

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James was adding sugar to two cups of coffee, noticing a bolt of lightning seemingly cut the sky in half. He watched as the rain slowly began to escape from the dark, ominous clouds, growing steadily harder as the seconds passed.

"James!"

James heard his twin sister, Susan, calling him from the other room.

"Yeah, Sue?" he called back to her.

"Someone's at the door!" she said.

James frowned; he wasn't expecting anyone.

He walked past his sister, who was sitting in her wheelchair, tying back her long, brown hair to expose her blue eyes and high cheek bones. Opening the door, James stood stunned for a minute.

"Zack?" he asked, dumbfounded, staring at the shivering boy in the doorway.

"W-w-why are t-they letting F-f-felix go?" he stuttered.

James grabbed Zack by the shoulders, guiding him into the house.

"Let me get you a blanket, you must be freezing."

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Please review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Waiting for the rain to stop

Sorry it's taking me so long to update this story. But thank you all for sticking with me.

Here's chapter 5.

**Chapter 5**

_**Waiting for the Rain to Stop**_

Zack sat on James' couch, wrapped in a blanket, with water dripping down his face from his wet hair. He sat quietly, watching Susan fuss repeatedly with her hair.

"I can't get it up comfortably. It must be the weather, it makes my hair all frizzy," she said softly, startling Zack.

"Huh?" he asked, shooting his head down to avoid her sudden staring.

"I saw you watching me, and I don't want you to think I'm some kind of obsessed, crazy hair lady," Susan replied, giggling a little.

"Oh, no, I don't think that," Zack said, wiping his own hair away from his eyes.

"How about some hot chocolate?"

Zack looked up to see James walking into the room. Staring greedily at the large mug that his older friend was holding, Zack held out his own hands to receive the offering.

"Thanks," he croaked, sipping the steaming liquid. James sat down next to Susan.

"Zack, don't tell me you ran the whole way here?" James asked hesitantly.

"I ran a few blocks and then caught the bus," Zack said sheepishly, keeping his gaze on the hot chocolate before him.

"Do your parents know where you are?" James asked, a little more sternly this time.

Zack winced. Throwing his head back in annoyance, he answered, "No, they don't."

James ran a hand down his mouth and sighed. Susan looked uneasily at him and said, "They must be worried sick, sweetie."

"I don't care if they are!" Zack yelled. He rose swiftly from his seat and let the blanket fall to the ground.

"Whoa, calm down bud," James said, also rising from his chair and putting his hands up defensively. Zack let out a frustrated breath.

"Sorry," he mumbled, sitting back down and turning his attention back to the hot chocolate in his hand, which he miraculously hadn't spilled. "I just had to get out of there."

"Running away isn't the answer," James said calmly, keeping his eyes on Zack, who looked up.

"I'm not running away! I'll go back...I just...I couldn't breathe. I don't know," Zack muttered, starting to feel ashamed of what he did.

"Zack, I'm not going to sit here and reprimand you. Hell, I did some stupid stuff when I was growing up. Dumber than running away," James said in a reminiscent tone.

"He's telling the truth, honey, he was pretty stupid," Susan chimed in, shaking her head with a mischievous look on her face. Zack chuckled a little.

"I don't remember asking your opinion, miss 'why don't we set all the mice free in the pet store'," James teased back, pushing his twin sister playfully. James turned back to face Zack, who started laughing when Susan stuck her tongue out at James behind his back.

"You guys are worse then me and Cody," he said between giggles. James smiled.

"Is he ok, by the way?" he asked, watching Zack intently. Zack averted his eyes once again and thought for a few moments.

"Actually, that's sort of the reason why I came here," he said slowly, stirring the marshmellows around his mug with his forefinger. "Are they letting Felix go?" he whispered, locking eyes with James.

James pursed his lips and said, "The FBI is basically taking Felix under their supervision, which means that Boston no longer controls what happens to him."

Zack kept staring into James' eyes. "Don't do that," he said, shaking his head slightly.

James looked confused. "Do What?"

"You're doing what my dad always does. He picks his words carefully, trying to keep it simple; like he has to protect me or something. I don't want you to sugarcoat it; I want to know what's going on," Zack said earnestly.

James smiled, watching Zack's pleading eyes. "You're very smart, Zack, you know that? The FBI offered Felix a deal, ok? He testifies against some big name mobsters and they wipe his slate clean in his mob dealings, plus reduce his sentence for the Tipton robbery and attempted murder. He'll barely do any time," he explained. Zack's face fell.

"So, is he going to jail?" he asked, looking down to see his hands were shaking again.

"Not for long. Not as long as we were hoping. He'll be taken to Washington next week to testify, then he'll be transferred to the United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It's a minimum security prison, which pisses me off..." James told Zack, balling his fists. Susan put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him.

"But that's not fair!" Zack cried, almost in tears. He appreciated James' honesty, but the thought of a free Felix scared him to death. He felt the urge to run away again; however, he stayed where he was. Something about James' home made Zack feel safe.

James was about to say something, but Susan spoke up first.

"Zack," she said, rolling her wheelchair closer to him. "Trust me when I say I know, better than anyone, the meaning of the word 'unfair'. The thing is, you can't let it eat you up. What happened, happened; you can't change that. But you can sure as hell overcome it."

Zack looked up at Susan, who's face was full of strength and defiance. It reminded him of Cody's face.

"I don't think I can," he whispered. Susan smiled and nodded her head.

"I _know _you can."

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Cody sat by the window in his suite, staring down at the road below. He was waiting to see Zack rounding the corner; waiting for his brother to come home. His mother and father went down to the lobby to ask if anyone saw which direction Zack had run.

Jerking his head to his right, Cody heard the phone ringing. Not paying attention to his crutches, he hobbled his way to the phone, as quickly as he could. Wincing from the pain, Cody grabbed the phone and gasped, "Zack?"

_"Cody? You alright, buddy?"_

It was James.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, have you heard from Zack? He ran off without telling anyone where he was going. We're really worried about him," Cody said breathlessly.

_"Actually, that's what I'm calling about. He's right here, I'm going to drive him over in a few minutes."_

Cody breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he said with a small laugh.

_"Tell your mom we'll be right over."_

"Ok. Thanks, bye," Cody said, hanging up. Suddenly, he felt his stomach doing flips and tried to take deep breaths in order to calm himself. But the pain in his side was growing with every intake of breath, and he began to regret neglecting his crutches. Squeezing his eyes closed, Cody held onto his side and crouched down on the floor, still breathing heavily.

"Cody!"

Cody opened his eyes slightly and saw his father running towards him.

"I'm ok, Dad, really," he said, his tone unconvincing.

"What happened?" Kurt asked frantically, trying to ease his son into a sitting position.

"I...it was stupid," Cody said, feeling the pain begin to subside. He layed his head against his father's chest and waited for the throbbing in his side to stop. Kurt just rubbed his son's head, whispering, "It's ok, just breathe. Calm."

After a minute or so, Cody began to breath normally and opened his eyes.

"Sorry, Dad, but the phone rang, and I kinda ran to it," he said quickly.

"Cody, you shouldn't try to do too much at once, ok? You scared me," Kurt said, kissing his son on the head and helping him to his feet.

"I know, but I thought it might be Zack," Cody retorted, sitting down on the couch. "It was James, but Zack's with him. He's bringing him home."

"Really..." Kurt said a little coldly. He picked up Cody's crutches and brought them over to the couch.

"Yeah, they just left," Cody said. "And, Dad?"

Kurt sat down next to Cody and asked, "What's up?"

"Don't tell him about what just happened, please?" Cody pleaded.

Kurt, who had been nervously chewing on the inside of his cheek, said, "I promise."

"Thanks, Dad," Cody said, leaning on his father's shoulder.

"Anytime, buddy," Kurt whispered, wrapping his arm around his son's shoulder while trying to decide the best way to tell Cody the news about Felix.

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Well, I know it's not incredibly long, but hopefully it explains a little.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)

And if you spot any mistakes, please call them to my attention. I feel like I didn't do a good editing job, for some reason...


	6. Seems that I'm still waiting for the sun

Hi everyone, I hope your week is going well.

And now I give you chapter 6. It's been fun writing it, listening to Dashboard Confessional. Music makes everything so much better.

**I just wanted to let you all know that "Say What You Mean" has reached over 10,000 hits! Thank you to everyone that read it and enjoyed it.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own TSL. And I didn't own TSL in chapter 5, either. I just forgot to put up a disclaimer, and I'm too lazy to go back and change it.

**Chapter 6**

_**Seems that I'm still waiting for the sun**_

Sitting in the backseat of James' car, Zack was staring out the window at the wet street as it passed below him. The rain stopped as quickly as it had started, the sky leaving no sign of having exploded with thunder and lightning just fifteen minutes before. The remnants were apparent on Zack, however. His hair was beginning to curl out of control since getting wet. Not to mention the suffocating humidity that afflicted the night air.

He watched as the stars slowly began to burst onto the night sky, as if someone was splashing paint against a dark canvas. He stared hard at the small shapes that engulfed the sky, wondering how the image we know as the star became that way. How could a bright, shining ball of gas be turned into a pointy yellow shape that graces the pages of children's coloring books? It plagued Zack's mind. But he was brought out of his reverie by the deep voice of his friend, who muttered, "We're here."

Zack pulled his eyes away from the sky and glanced out of the passenger's side window to stare at the Tipton.

"Do you need me to walk you in?" James asked gently.

"No," Zack responded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Remember that I'm always here if you need to talk. Just call next time, ok?" James said playfully. Zack shot him a hollow smile.

"Thanks," he responded, opening the door and climbing out onto the street. He was going to have to deal with the consequences sooner or later_. "Might as well be sooner, get it over with,"_ he thought to himself. Then, he began his descent toward the front door.

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Gripping his abdomen, which was still twinging slightly, Cody tried to position himself comfortably on the couch. However, nothing seemed to be helping. He reached over to grab another pillow and winced, crying out as a shooting pain bolted through his body.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and looked up to see his brother's horrified expression.

"Cody, what happened?" Zack asked, rushing over to his side.

Cody, trying to pretend as though nothing were wrong, just waved it off.

"I just bent my finger back trying to grab the other pillow," he lied, giving Zack a fake smile and shaking his hand.

Zack looked at him skeptically. Keeping his eye on Cody, he picked up the pillow and handed it to him.

"Thanks," Cody mumbled, trying to relax his body and ignore the throbbing around his wound.

Zack sat on the chair adjacent to the couch and kept his eyes on him. Cody, feeling as though Zack's eyes were burning a hole through him, tried to make conversation.

"Nice hair," he joked, pointing to the damp, curly mop of hair that was matted to Zack's head.

Zack rushed a hand up to his hair and started to smooth it down, asking, "Where's Mom?"

Cody fought back a yelp as he positioned himself sideways. "She and Dad went to talk in Dad's suite. Said they'd be right back," he answered.

"Oh," Zack replied. Cody looked at him, trying to read his expression.

"You ok?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Hmm?" Zack said, looking confused.

"Zack, would you just tell me what's bothering you? Is it those dreams you're having? Maybe I can help," Cody pleaded.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Zack crossed his arms and turned away from him.

"But I wanna help…" Cody said.

"I don't want help, ok?" Zack snapped. "Forget it, I don't want to get into a fight and say something I'll regret later," he added, going over to the refrigerator and looking inside.

"Is this about what you said the day that I was shot?" Zack cringed at the word "shot". "Because I thought we talked about that already. I don't want you feeling guilty," Cody said quietly.

"I just don't want to talk about it, please," Zack said, closing the refrigerator and leaning against the counter.

"Ok, fine," Cody said helplessly, looking up as the door to the suite opened, revealing his parents.

Zack held his breath, waiting for them to scold him.

"Oh, Zack," Carey said, walking swiftly over and wrapping her arms around him.

Zack stood still, surprised.

Carey broke the embrace and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah," Zack answered, glancing at his father, who was standing with his arms folded.

"Sorry for running off," he added, and Kurt nodded.

"Let's try and talk through it next time, ok?" he said, going over to hug his son.

"Ok," Zack replied, pushing his hair out of his face.

Cody, watching from the couch, smiled and said, "Mom, have you picked up my dress clothes yet, for the hearing?"

Carey's face fell, and Zack looked at his parents in disbelief.

"You haven't told him?" he yelled, letting his anger grab hold of him again.

"Zack, calm down," Carey cried, trying to block the door in case he got the urge to run out again. "We need to talk."

"What's going on?" Cody demanded, sitting up straight.

"Were you just not gonna tell him? Like he wouldn't have figured it out anyway?" Zack said angrily. In the back of his mind, he knew he was acting irrational, but he couldn't help himself.

"We were about to tell him right now, actually," Kurt answered defensively.

"Would someone tell me what this conversation is about?" Cody roared, rising to his feet. He swooned and braced himself against the couch.

Carey, Kurt and Zack all went running to his side.

"Cody, why don't you sit down and rest," Carey said, trying to get Cody back onto the couch.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, pushing everyone away from him, causing them to all look shocked and confused.

"I have a right to know what's going on. Ever since I came home, you're all constantly fighting about me. What's going on?" he said in an eerily calm voice.

"Well go on, Mom; Dad? Tell him," Zack said spitefully, as if it was his parents' fault that Felix was no longer going to trial.

"Cody, we have some bad news about the trial," Kurt said slowly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Why don't you sit down?" he asked.

"I'm fine standing," he said through clenched teeth.

"Cody, there's been a little setback…" Kurt explained, rubbing his hand across his forehead.

Cody's stomach dropped.

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I keep changing things about this story…I never type the chapters the way I have them written in my journal. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It had a lot of angst!


	7. You're the last to know

Hope everyone is doing well!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own TSL.

**Chapter 7**

_**You're the last to know**_

Cody sat on his bed, staring into the darkness as a feeling of detatchment took hold of him. _"Felix isn't going to trial, the FBI needed him for another case." _These words seemed to resound off the walls in his room, constantly reminding him that a murderer will not be receiving the sentence he should. How was this justice? This man, this..._monster_ was hardly going to do the time he deserved. This _animal_, who would have shot Zack without a second thought, had Cody not interfered. This _killer_...

"Buddy?"

Cody stopped his morbid thoughts and looked up, noticing Zack's head poking through the door.

"Are you crying?" Zack stepped in and closed the door gently behind him.

Cody reached up and felt his wet cheeks. "_Dammit_," he thought, wiping his eyes. He didn't realize he had been crying, and he hated it when Zack saw him cry.

"I'm ok. Just shocked," he whispered. "It's just so unreal."

Zack sat on the bed with Cody and nodded slowly. "I still can't believe it."

"Hmph," Cody grunted. "I guess there's nothing we can do," he said in a defeated tone that matched the look on Zack's face.

The two brother's sat that way for a long time.

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It was a chilly monday morning and the start of a new semester at Cody and Zack's middle school. Cody had eaten breakfast, brushed his teeth and combed his hair, changed into his clothes, and put on his shoes and schoolbag. His mother was in the shower and Zack was still asleep; Cody was ready fifteen minutes ago. However, school didn't start for another hour, so he sat on the couch and flipped to the local news station for the morning newscast.

_"Good morning, this is WXOC Channel 4, Eyewitness News at 7. Today's top story..."_

Cody listened absentmindedly to the news reporter. After the shooting, reporters were crawling all over the hospital and the Tipton, trying to score an interview with Cody and his family. Lt. Brooks explained that the case was high profile, and stationed some officers outside the Martin's door to keep reporters away. After a week or so, the reporters gave up and moved onto the next big story. Brooks and Peters assured Cody and his family they would keep the new information about the FBI and the trial within the department for as long as they could. Then, two days ago, reporters were once again poking around. Apparently, someone inside the department slipped up and word got out: Felix Burson was being taken to Washington, DC under the protection of the FBI for some unknown reason.

_"...We now go live to Charlie Dunn, who has been following this story all morning. Charlie?"_

_"Thanks, Katie. I'm standing in front of the Boston City Courthouse, and as you can see, preparations are being made for the transport of Felix Burson to Washington, DC. Now, the officers refuse to comment, but we have a very reliable source stating that the FBI has offered Burson a deal, lowering his sentence in exchange for some valuable information regarding gangs in New York City..."_

"Well," Cody thought as he listened to Charlie explain, as all the news channels seemed to do everyday, what Felix had done, "at least they don't have _all_ the right information." He was beginning to find the reports about Felix extremely frustrating.

_"...We're told the transport will take place between 10 a.m and 12 p.m. today. Reporting live from north Boston, Charlie Dunn, Channel 4, Eyewitness News."_

Cody flipped the television off; it just made him mad, and he didn't want to be mad on his first day back to school.

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It was about 20 minutes before school would officially start. Zack had never gotten to school this early in his life; but today was different. Today, the police escorted Zack and Cody to school; today, reporters shoved microphones in his and his brother's face; today, cops would be stationed at every door leading into their middle school.

Zack had been dreading today.

He walked up the few steps into the school after arguing with Cody to go up the ramp. Of course, Cody was stubborn, and used his crutch to push himself up the stairs.

"You should have taken both crutches, it would be easier for you," Zack complained, hovering close to his brother as they walked to the office to receive their new schedules.

"I don't need both of them, Zack. I'm fine with just one," Cody hissed, moving along slowly, yet steady.

They walked into the office and the receptionist, Mrs. Larkin, looked up from her desk.

"Cody! Zack, how are you? Feeling any better?" she asked with a look of pity on her face that made both boys cringe.

"Fine, thank you," Cody answered. "We're here for our new schedules."

"Ah, let me get Principal Morris," she said, walking through a door behind her desk.

"I hate that look," Cody mumbled, pursing his lips together.

Zack mentally agreed, watching as Principal Morris walked out of his office.

"Boys! How are we feeling this morning? We doing ok?" he asked, giving the same pitying look. Zack rolled his eyes.

"Fine, Principal Morris. Can we have our schedules, please?" Cody asked with a sigh.

"I have them right here," Principal Morris said, reaching into his mailbox on the table next to him and handing the boys their schedules.

"Just let me know if you need anything, alright?" he added with a wink. Zack rolled his eyes again.

"Thanks," Cody said, turning toward the door and walking through with Zack behind him.

"Homeroom with Mrs. Stetler," Zack began, watching Cody nod his head, which he knew meant he had the same class. Zack knew they would have the same classes, since his mother requested it after Zack threw a fit. They hadn't, however, told Cody about it.

"1st, English, Mrs. Roberts; 2nd, Social Studies, Mr. Lesser; 3rd, Science, Mrs. Hogam; 4th, Algebra and lunch, Mrs. Shick; 5th, Gym, Mr. Morrison; and 6th, Woodshop with Mr. Tallon," Zack read off.

"I have homeroom through 5th with you, that's a little odd," Cody muttered, somewhat sarcastically.

"Wait, what do you have 6th?" Zack asked, his voice growing a little high. _"I thought I made sure we had all the same classes..."_

"I told mom I wanted to take Art," Cody said quickly, his smile a little too smug as he turned around. "I know you hate art."

Zack opened his mouth in surprise. "_Busted_," he thought. "Cody, I..." he began.

"It's ok, Zack, I don't mind. But I don't like woodshop and it's only for one period. I'll be fine, I promise," Cody added gently. "Lets go to our lockers."

Zack walked with his shoulders slumped and followed Cody to their lockers. He noticed that the halls were beginning to fill up, and people were staring at the two of them.

"Cody! Zack!"

Zack turned around and saw Drew coming toward him and Cody and stepped protectively in front of his brother.

"What's up, Drew?" he asked skeptically while Cody furrowed his brow.

"I just wanted to tell you I think it's pretty cool that your brother, here, jumped in front of a gun for you," Drew said, twirling his basketball around on his finger.

"Uh, thanks," Cody said, half-smiling.

"See ya round," Drew said, walking away with his posse in tow.

Zack turned to Cody and they both snickered.

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Zack sat in his woodshop class, not paying any attention to what his teacher was saying. He was too worried.

"Dude, Mr. Tallon told us to cut that about five minutes ago." Zack turned to Bob, who was pointing to piece of wood in front of him.

"Oh," he said, not really caring.

"What's up, man? You've been weird all day," Bob asked.

"Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind," Zack answered, dusting off some wood shavings that had invaded his desk.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker errupted with Mrs. Larkin's booming voice. "Mr. Tallon?"

"Yes?" Mr. Tallon responded.

"I need you to send Zackary Martin to the office immediately, please."

Zack's heart dropped. "_Oh, God, something happened to Cody_," he thought, getting up from his chair and running down the hall.

A wandering teacher yelled, "No running in the hallway, sir!" But Zack didn't care; he had to get to the office as fast as he could. Out of breath, he ripped open the door and saw Cody sitting on one of the benches.

"Cody, are you ok? Did something happen?" Zack asked, flying to his side.

"I'm ok, Zack, they called me up here," Cody said, his voice as soothing as he could muster.

Zack turned around and saw Principal Morris looking at him gravely, standing with one of the police officers that had been stationed at the front door of the school.

"What happened?" he asked.

"There's been an accident of sorts...your mother and father are on their way to explain everything. But I need you and Cody to stay here with officer Rey until they arrive," Principal Morris explained.

"I don't understand," Cody said quietly.

"I've been instructed to keep you here," Principal Morris said, shaking his head and walking back into his office.

Cody and Zack just stared at each other.

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know!


	8. At times I wonder

I hope everyone is having a good day. I know it's taking me some time to update, but you all understand how demanding classes can be. But I have chapter 8 here for you, so I hope you will forgive me!

Dedicated to **In NYC**, because he has so much paitence with me! I promise to have those critiques done as soon as I can.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own TSL or anything associated with it. I do own Brooks and Peters and that no good, rotten Felix.

**Chapter 8**

_**At times I wonder**_

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

The clock was driving Zack crazy.

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

He was sitting next to Cody in the office at school, waiting for his parents to show up.

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

"What's taking them so long?" he said angrily.

"School's out in 15 minutes, so I'll guess traffic," Cody said, a little too calmly. It made Zack shudder.

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

Another 5 minutes went by.

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

"I need some water," Zack mumbled, walking towards the door.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Martin, I have to keep you here. Lieutenant Brooks insisted."

Zack looked over at the officer who held his hand out to stop him. Throwing his head back, he squeezed his eyes shut and plopped onto the chair in front of Mrs. Larkin's desk.

"I'm sure they'll be here any minute, honey," she said sweetly.

_"Who asked you,"_ Zack thought, as more irritation kept spreading through his body.

_Tick...Tick...Tick..._

The door to the office swung open and Carey burst into the room, followed by Kurt and a very flustered James.

"Mom!" Zack called, rushing over to her.

Carey wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Oh, my baby." She was kissing his head repeatedly.

"What's wrong? Why did we have to wait for you here?" Cody asked, pushing himself off the bench so he could stand.

"Hey, pal, don't get too excited," Kurt said to him, walking over and hugging him tightly. Zack furrowed his brow; he knew something awful had to have happened.

"I want to know what's going on," Cody said, as that eerie calmness crept back into his voice.

"What's James doing here?" Zack asked slowly, glancing nervously from one adult to another.

"Not here, Zack. Let's get to the car," Kurt said hastily, lifting up Cody's backpack and ushering them toward the door.

"Why? Cody and I have a right to know what's going on! Why won't you answer us?" Zack said, raising his voice significantly.

"Zack, please, don't argue with your father," Carey pleaded.

"You're gonna have us sent to the office with a police escort and not tell us why?" Zack yelled incredulously.

"Buddy, listen," James said soothingly, "We need to bring you somewhere safe first, ok? Then we'll explain everything."

Zack settled down a little. "That's all I wanted to hear," he said scathingly, glancing at his father.

Kurt pursed his lips and growled, "Let's get going."

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"I don't understand, I thought he was was being watched by the FBI?" Cody cried.

"He was, but it looks like he knew some people in the system. Apparently, they've been planning this for the last month that Felix has been in jail," James said, rubbing his eyes.

"Ok, let me get this straight; that psycho was on his way to Washington, as planned. They were stopped at a red light, somewhere in Pennsylvania, on a back road? And that's when they were shot at? What were they doing on a back road, anyway?" Zack asked angrily.

"It wasn't a back road."

Zack and Cody looked up and saw Lt. Brooks walk through the doors. His brown eyes looked tired and his forehead seemed permanently creased.

"They were going through a toll and traffic was backed up. That's when the shots were fired. During the attack, Felix slipped away with Special Agent Reeves and Officer Jenkins. That's all I know at the moment," Brooks explained.

"Jenkins? I played poker with Jenkins...I let that bastard into my home," James yelled furiously, standing up and balling his fists.

"James, calm down," Brooks instructed, glaring sternly at the officer. James closed his eyes and sat back down.

Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So what's gonna happen now?" he asked.

Brooks sighed. "Well, we're gonna have some police officers escort you home, and I'd be comfortable if some officers stayed at the hotel with you and the boys," he said, nodding at Carey.

Carey brought in a shaky breath and licked her lips. "Whatever you think, Lieutenant."

"I'd be more than happy to stay at the hotel, Ed," James offered.

"I don't think that's necessary..." Kurt started, but Brooks held up his index finger.

"That might be a good idea, James. Only for a while, though. Until we get some more information about this whole mess," he said.

Zack noticed his father's frustrated expression, but shook it off. He glanced at Cody, who was keeping quiet. A little too quiet.

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Cody hobbled into the hotel lobby and looked around. There were police officers guarding the revolving front door, keeping the swarming reporters at bay.

"I don't get it, Porsha!"

He watched London gabbing into her phone by the front desk.

"There are, like, 20 reporters outside and none of them even cared when I walked through the doors!" she cried, making her way to the elevator. Cody let out a hollow laugh.

"Like she doesn't get enough attention as it is."

Cody turned his head and saw Maddie standing behind him. "I'd rather they were here for her, though," he said sadly, plopping down on the couch.

Maddie frowned, sitting next to him.

"I saw the news...do you wanna talk about it?" she asked sincerely.

"Maddie, I'm a good person, right? so why do horrible things keep happening to me and my family?" Cody whispered earnestly. He felt his cheeks getting hot as tears stung his eyes.

Maddie bit the inside of her cheek shook her head. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "But you are a good person," she added, hugging him tightly.

Cody sat in the embrace, letting his tears fall.

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Zack was in a panic.

Cody said he was going to buy a candy bar, but he was taking much longer than he should have.

He told himself that he was foolish for feeling this way. Cody was safe here in the hotel, especially with all the police presence. But he couldn't keep the fear out of his body. And now that Felix was on the run, there was no telling what might happen.

His life was now turned upside down.

He walked swiftly to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. When the doors opened, he walked out and caught his breath.

Cody was crying.

But that's not what caused him to react the way he did.

Maddie was sitting close to him, their hands intertwined, and a pang of jealousy gnawed at his insides.

But he wasn't jealous that they were holding hands.

He was jealous that Cody felt more comfortable confiding in Maddie than in his own brother.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Cody and Maddie are not getting together. Cody just needs someone to talk to.


	9. Trapped inside

Thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot to me that you take the time out to do that.

I hope all is well. Onto chapter 9!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TSL.

**Chapter 9**

_**Trapped inside**_

Dark clouds were once again filling the skies of Boston, as they had been for the past week. It was as if the weather was somehow in tune with the dismal mood that hung over the Tipton hotel. But the clouds were welcomed, because the darkness was the perfect cover for such a depressing mood.

And Zack was feeling depressed.

Hidden in the fortress of his down comforter, Zack was oblivious to the world. Trapped in his dark and somber thoughts, he lay on his stomach and wiped away the tears that had long since stopped flowing, though he still ached from the sobs that had racked his already tired body just moments ago.

Zack wondered how he could still cry without any tears falling.

_"Cody is the crier, not me," _he thought shamefully. What really bothered him was the fact that he was so upset over something so trivial. Getting up from his bed, Zack looked into the small mirror that graced his endtable. Staring into the glass, he tried to smile; to see something familiar about himself. He wanted to bring back the old Zack. But as he saw his tear stained face, matted hair and bloodshot eyes, he began to feel even more hollow than ever.

"Argh!" Zack flung the mirror as hard as he could against his closet door, watching the shattering glass spill down through the air like a waterfall.

He stood still, panting, and stared at the glistening glass on the floor in front of him.

"You know that's seven years bad luck."

Zack kept his feet rooted to the spot next to his bed and continued staring at the broken glass as Cody sidled up behind him.

"Funny, isn't it? Zack said, seemingly detached.

"What could possibly be funny about a floor full of broken glass?" Cody asked quietly.

Zack kept staring, a feeling of despair slowly squeezing all hope from his soul.

"Funny how something can be so smooth and perfect one minute," he said bitterly, "and completely smashed to pieces the next." He picked his head up slowly and gazed at his brother's crestfallen face.

"Zack," Cody began, moving slightly closer to him.

"Without any warning," Zack continued, glancing at the shimmering shards again.

"You're bleeding," Cody said worridly. Zack's head dropped and he noticed a small piece of glass embedded in his arm.

"Let me get the first aid kit," Cody said, hobbling as quick as he could to the bathroom.

Zack just laughed cynically, following him out of the room.

"Zack, where are you going?" Cody yelled, slightly annoyed. But Zack ignored him and walked out of the suite and over to the elevator.

Once in the lobby, he sat down on the couch and tried to assess what had just happened. What was wrong with him? He stared at his bleeding arm, watching a tiny stream of blood trickling down and onto his jeans.

"Oh my God, Zack, what happened?"

It was a voice that Zack would have welcomed under any other circumstance, yet this time was different.

"Leave me alone, Maddie," Zack said harshly, stopping Maddie in her tracks. He looked up and saw the shocked expression the candy counter worker now wore.

At an apparent loss for words, Maddie stuttered a little. "F...fine, whatever...whatever you want," she managed, heading back to her work station, obviously hurt by the remark.

Somewhere within, Zack ached with guilt for speaking that way to the girl he's had a crush on for almost two years. But the bitterness and emptiness he felt, along with a growing resentment, crushed that guilt's chance of breaking free.

After all, Cody was _his _brother. Zack knew him better than anyone else in the world.

Only now, he felt as if he didn't even know himself.

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It had been a week since Felix had escaped, and the cops still had hardly any leads. They had, however, learned a little more about the events leading up to the escape. It seems that Special Agent Joseph Reeves had come to see Felix on more than one occassion while in prison...alone. According to an inside source at the prison where Felix had been awaiting trial, the two had been planning it since the day Felix had first ended up in jail, after the attempted robbery. It seems as though Felix and Reeves were also past acquaintences, according to a few more reliable sources. When Felix met up with Artie and planned the Tipton robbery, Felix had come into contact with Reeves. From there, the two had planned to kill Artie after the deed was done and run off with the diamond. Then, everything went wrong.

However, after Felix was aprehended by the police, Reeves used his influence to get him transferred. Then, with the help of Officer Jenkins, the elaborate escape plan was made possible.

James sat back at his desk in the hotel room at the Tipton, which Mr. Moseby had offered to him, free of charge, so he could keep his eye on the Martin family. He clicked his tongue against his teeth and sighed; he hated nothing more than corrupt cops. Gazing back at the case file, James had one burning question that kept nagging him like his mother does about finding a steady girlfriend...

What is Felix planning now?

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Zack walked into his suite and dropped his schoolbag onto the floor, heading straight for the fridge. Cody and Carey walked in behind him, followed by one of the officers from the station that had been escorting her and the boys around town all week.

"You alright now, Mrs. Martin?" he asked sternly.

"Yes, thank you," Carey said warily.

"Alright, I'm gonna head back to the station, then. Peters is right down the hall in case you need anything," the officer explained, giving Carey a salute. Carey nodded her head and closed the door behind him, locking it tightly.

Zack grabbed the giant bowl of grapes from the fridge and set them on the counter.

"Hey, Cody, you want?" he asked his brother, holding up the bowl slightly.

"Sure, in a minute," Cody said, heading towards the bathroom.

Zack brought out two small bowls and started loading grapes into them when he noticed a letter sitting on the counter, addressed to him.

"Mom, who's this from?" Zack asked tentatively, picking up the letter and looking it over. There wasn't a name, but the letter's return address was from Albany, NY.

"I don't know, sweetie. I thought it might just be another one of those pen pal letters that you've been getting lately," Carey said, rummaging through the coat closet.

Zack shrugged and opened the envelope, pulling out the contents. Scrunching up his nose, Zack read the note and felt the air leave his lungs.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter (even thought it's a short one) and my little cliffhanger. Not like you can't guess who sent the letter...but you have no idea what's in it! Cue evil laughter now

Ok, ok, enough playing. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. School and work don't allow me to have a life, so I do the best I can.


	10. When time stands still

Hello, readers. I know it's been over a month since my last update, but I'm hoping that you will forgive me...However, school is over in two weeks, and I can get back into the groove of writing, at least for a month, until school starts back up again.

So, without further ado, here is the next chapter of "Destination: Beautiful." Enjoy!

**Chapter 10**

_**When time stands still**_

_At the hotel..._

Cody looked at his reflection in the bathroom and sighed. It had been a little over a week since the mirror incident and things seemed to be getting back to normal...as normal as it can be under the circumstances. Their mother had insisted that Zack speak to a counselor which, to Cody's surprise, he didn't refuse. He had only gone twice, but it was obviously working because Cody could swear he saw Zack smile today.

Drying his hands on a towel, Cody limped out of the bathroom and over to the grapes that Zack had taken out. He wasn't, however, expecting to find Zack looking horrified at a typed letter he was holding before him.

"Whoa, man, who died?" Cody asked jokingly, popping a couple of grapes into his mouth.

Zack looked up quickly and let out a short panicked breath. "Uh, n-nothing...just...a letter from one of those...you know, those annoying p-pen pals...he has horrible grammar..." Zack stuttered, wiping away a bead of sweat that was trailing down the side of his face.

Feeling a little unconvinced (_"since when did Zack notice_ _grammar?"_), Cody asked, "Are those pictures? Can I see?"

"Oh...uh," Zack said, shrugging, "nah, I'm just gonna trash 'em." And with that, he grabbed the envelope and hurried off into their bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Cody bit his lower lip and took a small bunch of grapes over to the couch. Pulling out his science book, he began turning over, in his mind, the possible _real _reason why Zack was suddenly so jumpy.

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_In the bedroom..._

Zack was pacing back and forth, reading the letter over and over again.

"This can't be happening," he said out loud, running a clammy hand over his flushed face. Breathing harder, Zack carefully went over the letter again, trying to make sense of the paper he held in his hand.

_dearest Zachary,_

_hey buddy! your pal Felix here. i bet you never expected to hear from me again huh? well i felt we made a real connection in our short time spent together at the hotel ya know? so now that we're the best of friends i need you to do me a little favor. go down to the pay phone behind the Tipton on monday the 14th and wait for my call. i call at 5 pm. oh and i wouldnt tell your little cop friend about this if i were you. see i know a lot of people Zack. you spill the beans and i off your brother got it? dont show monday and i just say the word and **BANG**! anyway you get the picture. and speaking of pictures i sent you a little incentive to go along with this nice letter. should help you keep your mouth shut. remember that i'm watching you._

_much love,_

_Felix XOXO_

Zack held the pictures before him and began to tremble. There was a photo of Cody at his locker, one at a restaurant, and one of him walking up the steps into the hotel. All three were taken at a distance, and Zack shuddered at the red targets that Felix had drawn around Cody's body. He knew that the madman was trying to tell him that he has a clear shot of his brother from any angle. Then it dawned on him; Felix was blackmailing him.

And Zack began to fear what he might be asked to do.

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_At the police station..._

"It's been over two weeks, Ed, and the trail is going cold! We need more man power. Where's Johnson and Lopez?" James asked forcefully. He was pacing feverishly in the Lieutenant's office.

"Johnson is on Tipton duty and Lopez is on Moseby duty," Lt. Brooks said without looking up from the papers he was signing.

James looked annoyed. "I thought Moseby didn't want protection?"

"Well," Brooks replied, tearing his eyes away from his paperwork, "He received a threatening letter the other day, and I sent Lopez over to keep an eye on him."

"What did it say? Was it from Felix?" James asked, halting his pacing and sitting down in front of the Lieutenant's desk.

"Well, we don't know, actually. But Felix would have just as much reason to come after Moseby as he would anyone else that was there that day." Brooks turned his head back to the paper in front of him, frowning. "Hey, James, would you excuse me? I need to check something out," Brooks said tentatively, rising from his chair. Still holding the paper, he grabbed his jacket and walked swiftly out of the room.

"Yeah, sure," James said to himself, with a wave of his hand. He glanced at his watch and sighed. Standing up, he put on his own jacket and left the station, heading towards Zack and Cody's school.

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_At the school..._

Zack stood by Cody's locker as his brother was putting his books into his schoolbag.

"Let's hurry up, Cody," Zack said, nervously looking around, then at his watch.

"What, you got a hot date or something?" Cody asked, shrugging off Zack's paranoia.

"What makes you think that?" Zack asked, laughing slightly.

"Well, you've been staring at your watch all day," Cody pointed out, slamming his locker shut and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Oh, no...I, uh...well, I don't want to be late for my shrink, that's all," Zack lied, wiping his hair from his face.

"That's not until 4:30, Zack, you're fine," Cody laughed, shaking his head and glancing at him. He looked concerned.

Zack knew he wasn't doing a good job lying, so he changed the subject. "What did you think of that English test today?"

"It was more of a vocabulary test than anything else," Cody said, shrugging. "I was expecting something a little more challenging."

"Yeah, I guess," Zack said, not paying much attention. He looked outside and saw James' car sitting in front of the school. _"Oh, no, what's he doing here?"_ he thought, looking around to make sure no one was watching them.

"Hey, James," Cody said, walking up to the car and smiling.

"Where's mom?" Zack asked loudly, glancing over his shoulder.

"She asked if I wouldn't mind picking you up today. She had some errands to run," James said, unlocking the doors. Cody opened the door to the backseat and threw his schoolbag in the car.

Zack shut his eyes tightly and prayed that whoever was watching them (because he had a feeling that someone was) didn't think that Zack had told James about the letter.

"Zack, you ok?" James asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Yeah, fine," Zack said, opening the front door and slipping into the car. He looked at his watch and held his breath.

1 hour and 30 minutes to go.

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Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll have more up soon. I know you're all dying to know what Felix is going to make Zack do!


	11. But I'm the one who keeps on reading

Don't have much to say. Hope you're all doing well, and I'm sorry for the lack of updating.

**Disclaimer: **I don't TSL, and I didn't own TSL in the last chapter, either.

**Chapter 11**

_**But I'm the one who keeps on reading**_

The psychiatrist's office building sat in the heart of downtown Boston, about 2 miles from the hotel. It was an older brick building with large, rectangular windows that sat low to the ground. The two windows on the bottom floor had green flower boxes underneath them. They looked extremely weathered and were empty.

Zack walked through the giant wooden doors that graced the front of the building, waved to his mother and quickly sank down behind one of the windows, peering out to see her driving away. Then he cast his gaze upon officer Lopez.

After convincing his mother that he should see the psychiatrist alone, Zack had to wait for Lopez to meander off towards the coffee house across the street.

"You know you want the coffee, Lopez," he whispered, licking his lips in anticipation. Lopez glanced up and down the street.

"Come on, dude," Zack said a little louder. A couple walking down the hall looked at him strangely.

"Mind your own business," Zack scoffed, shooing them along. He turned his attention back to Lopez and waited. About 10 minutes later, Lopez took off across the street and into the coffee house.

"Finally!" Zack cried. He walked out of the front doors and took off down the street. He looked at his watch, noting that he had 13 minutes until 5 o'clock. Taking a short cut through an alley behind an apartment building, Zack ran into a homeless man, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going punk!" the man wailed, as Zack rose to his feet and kept running.

"Sorry!" he called behind him. Within 8 minutes, Zack had reached the hotel, breathless. He ran behind it and sank down below the payphone, panting and looking at his watch.

4:58 p.m.

The phone rang.

Zack nearly jumped out of his skin and scrambled upright, staring at the phone as if it were going to attack him. He cautiously picked up the phone, glanced around, and quietly said, "Hello?"

_"Zack, man! How are you, buddy? You're early!"_

Zack gulped and felt his heart leap into his throat. "Cut the crap and tell me what you want," he said, disgusted by how Felix was treating him like a friend he was trying to catch up with. Felix huffed angrily.

_"Now, is that any way to talk to your ol' pal, Zack? Remember that I'm the one in charge here."_

"I'm sorry, just tell me what you want," Zack answered.

_"In a hurry, Zack? That's ok, I'll make this quick."_

Zack wiped his sweaty brow, breathing deeply to try and supress his neausea.

_"You put me in quite a pickle when you and your brother got Artie killed. Anyway, I'll send another letter by the end of the week with the details. I just wanted to make sure you understand how this is going to work."_

Zack closed his eyes and said, "I understand, just don't hurt my brother."

Felix laughed. It was the same laugh that plagued Zack's dreams.

_"As long as you keep your end of the agreement, I don't see why I should have to kill him. But if you don't...I'll slit his throat myself." _

Felix delivered the last sentence so viciously that Zack cringed and nodded, though Felix couldn't see him doing so.

_"Glad we could chat. Watch for my instructions."_

Zack, eyes still closed, barely replied, "Kay."

Felix laughed horribly again. Then there was the dial tone.

Zack, shaking, put the phone back on the hook and tried to calm himself down.

"Deep breaths," he muttered, trying to regain control. It was no use. He gagged, fell to his knees and threw up next to the payphone. Rising shakily to his feet, he wiped his mouth and glanced at his watch.

"Damn," he whispered, taking off back to the psychiatrist's office.

5:12 p.m.

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Cody sat by his window, watching the kids playing across the street at the park when he noticed a boy with blonde hair run just out of sight.

_"That looked like Zack..." _he thought, looking over at the clock on his endtable.

5:13 p.m.

He shook his head and laughed a little. Zack was still at his psychiatrist appointment, so it couldn't have been him. However, he still gazed out the window uneasily.

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Zack made it back to the office before his mother, but not before Lopez had stationed himself back in front of the doors.

"Son of a..." Zack cursed, gritting his teeth. He looked around quickly, trying to think of something he could do to distract the officer. He ran down the alley next to the office and saw a few trash cans. Kicking them over, he made as much noise as he could, as well as letting out a loud yell. Then he hid behind the dumpster a little further up the alley. As he expected, Lopez came running around the side, looking around. Zack slid from his hiding place, crept out of the alley and flew into the front doors. He wiped his forehead and sank down with his back against wall.

He made it.

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_3 days later..._

The letter came.

Zack stared at it in his shaky hands, afraid of what the contents held. He played it off as another pen pal note, but he could see in Cody's eyes that he didn't believe him. Making up an excuse to leave the room, Zack took off through the lobby and was now hiding under one of the tables in the dining room, shielded by the tablecloth.

Taking a deep breath he opened the letter and took his keychain flashlight out to read it.

_dearest zack,_

_i told you id be getting back to you soon didnt i? now like i said before you put me in quite a tough spot when you had artie killed. see when we planned this whole robbery we agreed on a hiding place where we would stash the diamond then come back for it later. but after artie found out that you and your brother got him fired he musta gone crazy. always talked about revenge on the person that got him fired. anyways this is a problem for me. i know that they had the diamond locked up in an evidence room when i left but no doubt they gave it back to tipton by now._

_heres what you gotta do for me. i want that diamond zackey boy. you find out where it is and send me a letter to the address i got at the bottom of the page. then i give you the next set of instructions. i better have a reply by next friday, or i break your brothers neck._

_love your pal felix_

Zack pulled his knees up to his chest and put his head down.

He had no idea how he was going to pull this off.

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Again, sorry it took me so long to update. But I want to give this my best, and it takes time to do that. So thank you for sticking with me.


	12. You know me better than that

I'm trying to give better descriptions.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own TSL or Mae.

**Chapter 12**

_**You know me better than that**_

The wind blew harshly, causing the clouds to move wildly around the sky and chilling the air that the sun was trying so desperately to warm. It seemed to be an ongoing struggle; the sun would cast down its heated rays for a few moments, only to be thwarted by the thick white masses overhead. The clouds constantly blew in front of the sun, allowing the wind to inflict its damage.

Cody was walking alongside Maddie in the park, quietly watching to see which element would make the next move.

"Have you talked to Zack lately? Like, about what you've been telling me?" Maddie asked, kicking some gravel off the path they were following.

"No," Cody replied quietly. "He hovers over me. Doesn't say much. He's been getting letters. He says they're from his pen-pal," he added.

"I didn't know Zack was into pen-pals," Maddie wondered.

"He's lying," Cody said, an annoyance in his tone. He shook his head. "He's a terrible liar."

"How do you know he's lying? Maybe he's just trying to...well, be productive. Keep busy," Maddie suggested.

Cody laughed coldly. "Zack? No, he's lying. I know when he's lying. The funny part is, he thinks I can't tell. He changes the subject really fast, you know? Like I don't know he's lying to me." He watched as the sun lost another battle to the clouds overhead and sighed.

"This is a lot more complicated that I thought, I guess," Maddie said sadly, wrapping her arm around Cody's shoulder. "It's getting cold, why don't we head back to the hotel?"

Cody nodded, and they turned back.

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As they approached the Tipton, Cody felt a chill cut through his body, causing him to gasp slightly.

"Cody?" Maddie placed a worried hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," he muttered, hugging his arms around his body. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"Cody!"

Cody gritted his teeth together. Turning slowly around, he saw Zack standing by the candy counter. He was sweating.

"Hey Zack," Maddie chimed cheerfully.

Zack ignored her. "Where were you? I've been..."

"Worried sick, right?" Cody snapped. Zack stared at him.

"You're always 'worried sick.' I went for a walk." Cody peeled his jacket from his body, which was growing warmer by the second from the anger boiling up inside of him.

"Don't worry, Zack, he was with me," Maddie said in an effort to calm Zack down.

"Was I talking to you?" Zack cried, pulling his brother toward the elevator. Maddie's eyes shone with tears and Cody looked at Zack in alarming amazement.

"Don't talk to her that way!" Cody said sharply, pulling his arm from his brother's grasp. He waved to Maddie as they stepped into the elevator.

"You shouldn't leave the hotel without a police escort," Zack said, pressing the "23" button.

"Why? What good will that do?" Cody shouted, feeling the heat from his anger rising to his face.

Zack, clearly in a state of distress, began talking fast. "Felix is out there, Cody! Who knows what he's planning!"

Cody, fed up, retorted, "What would he want with us, Zack? We can't testify against him anymore! What would he possibly want? He broke out of jail! He's probably a million miles away by now!"

Zack was hovering against the wall and biting his nails. "I doubt that," he mumbled.

Cody rolled his eyes. "You're not the only one affected by this! I've been living with the pain and the fear just as much as you have! I've had nightmares, just like you have! I have people staring at me, sorry for me, all the time. I don't need people to feel sorry for me!" The elevator doors opened and the two stepped out, Zack glancing over his shoulder.

"I can't help you if you won't talk to me," Cody said, feeling defeated. "But your psychiatrist might be able to, so I suggest you stop skipping your appointments."

Zack's head shot up. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you, Zack. You were skipping your appointment," Cody said.

Zack shook his head and laughed nervously. "You're seeing things."

Cody closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm going to Dad's room. See you later." He left Zack standing in the middle of the hallway.

Cody knew that his brother was hiding something, yet he couldn't figure it out. But he swore that he was going to make sense of it all.

Even if it killed him.

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Just wanted to show a little conflict from Cody's perspective. He's having a hard time.

Hope you enjoyed!


	13. I hold on tight and reminisce

Man, I'm on a roll, aren't I?

Thanks for the support, Sillver. This story is going to be everything I wanted it to be!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TSL.

**EDIT:** Hahaha, and that is why, In NYC, I love it when you review. You tell it like it is. Of course Zack wouldn't write "Dear" in his letter! He wouldn't address his name at all! Shame on me! Goes to show you shouldn't edit your chapters at two in the morning. It's all fixed!

**Chapter 13**

_**I hold on tight and reminisce**_

The walls seemed to be closing in on Zack as he stood in the hallway, watching his brother walk off to their father's room.

_"If only he knew,"_ he thought, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He hated lying to Cody; especially since he knew he wasn't doing a good job of it.

"I need to find London," he said aloud, hopping back into the elevator.

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With anger still boiling through his veins, Cody could barely feel his fingers and his ears were pounding furiously. He made it to his father's room and beat on the door until it opened, Kurt standing curiously on the other side.

Without saying a word, Cody entered the suite and plopped down on the couch, his arms folded and his face stone cold.

Kurt raised his eyebrows and licked his lips, shutting the door quietly. Then he walked over to the couch and sat down next to his son. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Kurt cautiously asked, "So...do you wanna talk about it?"

"It's Zack, Dad!" Cody cried loudly. "He won't let it go! And I've done everything to try and make it better, I really have! I let him sleep in my bed, practically cutting off my oxygen most of the time! He follows me around like he's my bodyguard, he escorts me to class...I tell him everything's ok, and he still freaks out on Maddie, of all people!" He took in a sharp breath and let it out as a low growl.

Kurt sat, listening intently, trying to make sense of what he was being told. "Alright, Cody. I completely understand where you're coming from," he said, nodding his head. "It's annoying when people hover over you, huh?"

"Yeah, it is," Cody said, more calmly than before. He could feel his blood pressure going back to normal.

"I had that problem once," Kurt reminisced. "I was in the fourth grade. My cousin was supposed to be keeping her eye on me, but she wasn't paying attention when I started climbing on top of the monkey bars. I fell and broke my leg and she felt so bad that she did everything for me. It was great at first, but after a while it started to irritate me. She was always there." He glanced at Cody and smiled. "But I knew she only did it because she loved me."

Cody pursed his lips. "I know Zack loves me, Dad. I just want him to lighten up, everything's fine now." Kurt nodded his head once.

"That might be true. But think of it this way," he said. "What if you hadn't pushed Zack out of the way when that gun went off and _he_ had been shot? Imagine him in that hospital bed, hooked up to all those machines, unresponsive for all that time. How do you think you would have felt about that?"

Cody shifted in his seat. He felt uncomfortable thinking about it. "I would be scared. I would be so scared," he finally said. Kurt pushed Cody's hair back and looked him in the eye.

"That was the hardest thing that I've ever had to see, Cody. I would have given anything to take that pain away from you." Kurt pulled Cody in closer and embraced him. "And I know that's how Zack feels. He's just having a harder time letting go of that fear."

Cody hugged his father hard, then let go and looked up at him. "I love you," he said softly.

Kurt kissed the top of his head and said, "I love you, too. More than anything, always remember that."

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Zack knocked on the door to London's suite.

"Coming!"

He waited a moment, then the door opened with a very surprised London standing on the other side.

"Hi Zack, why are you here?" she asked. Zack looked in the room and saw a woman standing in the middle of the floor with fabric in her hand.

"Oh," he said nervously, "I was just coming to see what you were doing." He went over his plan one more time quickly in his mind. "I sort of had a disagreement with Maddie."

London rolled her eyes. "That girl thinks she's always right. Well, I'll tell you one thing: she sure doesn't know anything about fashion." She walked back over to her designer, who began pinning a hem on her dress.

Zack nodded, pretending to seem interested. "Well, you see, Maddie and I were trying to figure out the best place to keep your greatest treasure. She says you should keep it locked up in a bank. But I say you should keep it close and hide it yourself." He watched London nod, look in the mirror, and then shoo her designer to another part of the suite to find some lace to add to her dress. When they were alone, London leaned in close to Zack.

"I agree with you, Zack. You have to keep your valuables close. Like the diamond that those bad guys tried to steal? Daddy gave it to me, he said I could keep it safe. So I keep it in a locked box under my bed," she explained happily.

_"Thank God she's not the brightest crayon in the box,"_ Zack thought, nodding in agreement with her. "You're a smart girl, London," he said with a fake smile. She beamed.

"So, you have any plans this week?" Zack asked slyly.

London looked in the mirror again. "I'm going to visit Daddy this weekend, and then we're going to Paris for a few days next week," she said, blowing a kiss to herself.

Zack let out a sigh of relief.

But he still felt uneasy.

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_I know where the diamond is. London is going out of town this weekend, and she'll be gone for a while next week. I can get it then. Let me know._

_Zack_

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Ah, that was fun! There's still a few more chapters to go (2 or 3), and there will be some James in the upcoming chapters, too! He's not forgotten, don't worry :)


	14. But it's bittersweet to me

I'm sure you all thought I'd given up on this story by now, but I'm back and I have 2 or 3 more chapters after this one for you. My life is busy and hectic, but I will finish this story; no doubt about it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TSL.

**Chapter 14**

_**But it's bittersweet to me**_

The sun was slowly creeping up the floor through a crack in the blinds, illuminating everything in its path. James sat slumped in his chair with his head on his desk, asleep. The light finally made its way across to the desk and onto James' face, causing him to wake with a start. Confused, he glanced around the room, taking in his surroundings and realizing he was still at the station. He rotated his neck a few times to ease the sore muscles that weren't used to being in such an akward position for a long period of time. Then he glanced at the clock, remembering he had a meeting with Lt. Brooks at 9:30 that morning.

8:07 a.m.

"Dammit," he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and grabbing his jacket on his way out the door.

40 minutes later, James emerged from his home, showered and clean shaven. Before heading to the station, he stopped downtown at Joe's Coffee House which his old college roommate, Joe jr., now owned. Walking through the door, James waved to his old friend just as someone at the counter caught his eye.

It was Kurt, looking straight at him.

James shifted uncomfortably; he knew that Kurt wasn't exactly fond of him. He mustered up a small smile and a nod in Kurt's direction. Kurt grabbed his coffee and, dropping a few dollars next to his breakfast dish, walked over to James, who held his breath.

"Nice day," Kurt said casually, gesturing to the sky outside.

James let out a relieved breath and nodded, "Yeah, I heard we'll be getting into the 60's this week." The stood there for an akward moment, and James tried to think of something else to talk about besides the weather.

"How are the boys? I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks," he asked cautiously. He had a feeling Kurt didn't exactly appreciate the bond he had with the twins, especially with Zack. But Kurt just sighed.

"They're not ok. Cody is frustrated with Zack hanging over him all the time, and Zack is still a little paranoid. They're not exactly on speaking terms with one another at the moment."

James shook his head and moved over to the cash register. "I was hoping Zack would be less anxious by now, especially since he's been talking to someone."

"I thought so, too," Kurt replied. "Any news on the scumbag that shot my son?" he added, tossing his coffee cup into the trash.

James placed his order and handed Joe jr. some money, then turned back to face Kurt. "I actually have a meeting with Lt. Brooks this morning. We aprehended someone last night who we think is working with Felix. He's a nervous guy, I think we can break him pretty easily."

Kurt clenched his fist and licked his lips, nodding. "Call when you do." Then he said goodbye, and walked out of the coffee house.

James graciously took his coffee and went back to his car, relieved that he finally had a civilized conversation with Kurt. With renewed energy, James made his way to the station.

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The hallway was abandoned as Zack quietly crept to London's suite. He had received a letter from Felix, instructing him to grab the diamond and call at 1:00 p.m. from the payphone behind the Tipton, where he would receive the next set of instructions. He looked over his shoulder and pulled out an electronic key card that he had swiped while Mr. Moseby was occupied with a celebrity guest who had booked a suite for the weekend. This wasn't the first time he had stolen a key from the front desk, but it was definitely the first time he felt guilty about it. But as he quickly shut the door and moved down the hallway to London's bedroom, the guilty feelings fled his body as all he could think about was grabbing the diamond that would save Cody's life.

He made it to the bedroom and dropped to the floor next to London's bed, pulling out a chest that laid underneath it.

"Right where she said it would be," he said to himself, a mixture of guilt and relief spreading through his stomach. The diamond that would save his brother's life. The diamond that could end his own life. In fact, Zack hadn't thought much about the repercussions of stealing the precious stone. What if he was caught? Would the Tipton's press charges? He was robbing a friend and aiding a fugutive...

He shook his head and tossed the thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter; Cody's safety came first.

He looked the chest over and noticed a lock on it. "Crap," he spit, tugging at the piece of metal. He looked around the room in hopes of finding the key, but to no avail.

"Ok, I can pick it. I've picked locks before," Zack said out loud. He grabbed a hair pin off the vanity and got to work. 10 minutes later, the chest was back under London's bed and the diamond was safely in Zack's school bag. He left London's room quietly and went to the elevator. Just as he was about to press the down button, the doors opened and Maddie emerged. She tilted her head.

"What are you doing up here, Zack?" she asked in a friendly, yet suspicious way. Zack, who was becoming a pro at lying, just shrugged.

"Walking around. It's quiet up here." He held a straight face long enough to convince her.

"You want to help me water London's plants?" she asked, holding up a spray bottle. Zack shook his head vigorously.

"No," he said, cutting her off. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the "L" button for the Lobby. Maddie was almost out of sight, but she stuck foot in the doorway, causing the elevator to open back up.

"What are you doing?" Zack asked, annoyed. He glanced at his watch.

"Why do you hate me all of a sudden?" she asked desperately. "Ever since Cody came home from the hospital, you've been avoiding me and saying mean things to me...I thought we had a better relationship than that!"

Zack, feeling slightly sorry, yet very impatient, sighed. "I don't hate you. I've just got a lot on my mind. But I have to go now, I've got a doctor's appointment at 9:30 and I'm gonna be late," he lied, pressing the button again. Maddie's head dropped a little and she moved her foot out of the doorway. On the way down, Zack paced the elevator and thought about his feelings for Maddie. He didn't hate her; at least, he didn't think he hated her. It just annoyed him that Cody felt he could confide in her more than he could in Zack. His relationship with Cody had been somewhat estranged over the past few months, and it bothered him.

"It'll be fine after I give this diamond to Felix," Zack said out loud again, then stopped in his tracks. "I've got to stop talking to myself," he muttered, watching as the doors opened.

Zack glanced at his watch again.

9:15 a.m.

Only 3 hours and 45 minutes to go.

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12:44 p.m.

The ticking of the clock seemed louder than usual as James sat stone-faced across from Sal Mancini, the suspect in the interrogation room. He was a short, stocky man in his mid thirties with a thick head of jet black hair.

He was also sweating profusely.

James had been staring at the man for the past hour, trying to get him worked up. Apparently he was doing a good job.

"Would ya stop givin me tha' look, a'ready?" Sal yelled, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. "Whaddya want wit' me?"

"Sal," James said, getting up from his chair and never breaking eye contact with the man. "Sal, you know what I want." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"How do I know? I don' know you," Sal said, nervously cracking his knuckles.

James clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and bent down a couple of inches away from Sal's face.

"Where's Burson?" he asked, dangerously calm.

Sal twitched and moved his head further from James' face. "I don' know no Burson." He wiped his forehead again.

"That's fine, Sal. Because I've got fingerprints, shoe impressions, and DNA from the FBI van that Burson was being transported on that are gonna match yours. That's gonna prove you were an accomplice. Hell, let's throw in a few more charges while we're at it, like theft of Federal property, fraud, and perjury. Boy, Sal, looks like you're going away for a long time."

Sal began to protest. "Perjury? I ain' commit no perjury!"

"Oh, I looked into your records and it says here," James pushed a piece of paper in front of Sal, who grabbed it, "that you only make $1000 a month, therefore lowering your child support payments, when in actuality, you make over $3000. Yeah, I did some digging."

Sal looked up with a horrified expression. "Wha' does tha' gotta do wit any of this?"

James shrugged. "Nothing, really." He crossed his arms again and bit the inside of his cheek. He watched as the wheels were turning in Sal's head.

"Can I getta deal?" he asked quietly, dropping the paper back on the table.

James pretended to think about it. "I could drop the perjury and the fraud charges." He heard Sal curse, then he nodded.

"A'right, Felix 'as been talkin' to tha kid. Gettin' him ta do things," Sal said.

James' felt as if his stomach hit the floor.

"Which kid?" he growled.

"Ya know, tha-tha brother...tha brother that wasn' shot," Sal said, a little aprehensive.

James cursed loudly as Lt. Brooks walked into the room.

"What did he get him to do?" the lieutenant asked softly.

"Yea, I don' know tha specifics, ya know? But he's callin 'im at 1 today."

James whirled around and gazed at the clock.

1:13 p.m.

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I hope you liked it!


	15. We're heading for destruction

Thanks for the reviews, everyone. They make me happy :)

This is the second to last chapter. One more after this!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TSL. And there is a little bit of swearing in this chapter. And I made up street names, I don't actually know Boston's streets.

**Chapter 15**

_**We're heading for destruction**_

The warehouse was definitely old and abandoned, but that was one of the most appealing aspects of it. The building, which was once used to mass produce kitchen cabinets, sat on the outskirts of town, where the traffic was minimal. Most of the windows had been broken out, and a few racoons, squirrels, and even a fox or two had ventured over from the woods to rummage through the mess that had been left behind. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that it had a lot of rooms; and a lot of rooms meant there were a lot of places to hide if things went wrong. And actually, the broken windows were a good thing; broken windows equaled an easy escape into the neighboring wooded area.

Felix nodded his head approvingly. "This could work," he muttered. Now all he had to do was wait for the kid to call.

"'Ey, Felix!"

Felix cringed. He hated when his thoughts were interrupted.

"What is it, Joe?" he asked coldly.

Joe looked nervously at the warehouse. "Uh, well...see, I'm just the messenger..." he started. Felix balled his fist at his side.

"Spit it out, you lousy bastard!" he croaked.

"Alright, man! Look, I got word that Sal was brought in by the police..."

Felix's calm demeanor betrayed his inner thoughts. Of all the people who were in on this, it had to be Sal; the one man who would spill everything if his life depended on it.

"Felix?" Joe said, taking a step forward.

"What time is it?" Felix demanded.

"Uh," Joe mumbled, looking at his watch. "It's 12:47."

Felix looked around. "Well, we just gotta wait for the kid to call. Sal didn't know the full plan, I made sure of that. We'll just have to keep our guard up."

Joe nodded, then added, "What are you gonna do with the kid after you get the diamond?"

Felix glanced up at the building, spitting onto the ground. Then he leaned in towards Joe and snarled, "Kill him."

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Cody placed the note on the coffee table in front of his sleeping mother. He stared at her for a moment and whispered, "I love you." He kissed her on the cheek, then slipped out of the suite and into the elevator.

When he reached the lobby, he looked at the clock. It was 12:59 p.m., which meant he still had one minute to catch up to Zack.

Less than an hour ago, Cody had bumped into Maddie and noticed her red, puffy eyes. Maddie explained Zack's behavior towards her earlier that morning, which made Cody suspicious ("He doesn't have a doctor's appointment," he had told her). He then looked all over the hotel for Zack, but he couldn't find him. So, feeling slightly dejected, he retreated to his bedroom and fell onto his bed. Laying down with his feet on the bed and his head hanging over the side, he had noticed a piece of paper coming out from under Zack's mattress...

Now, Cody was walking swiftly down the alley to try and stop Zack from making that phone call. But when he got to the payphone, no one was there.

"Dammit!" Cody cursed, kicking the phone book that was hanging from the base of the payphone.

"You forget to tell your friend something?"

Cody whirled around and noticed an older man sitting in the shade of the dumpster. He looked homeless.

"What?" he asked cautiously, remembering the letters and pictures he had just seen.

"You just got off the phone a second ago, no? Why'd ya change your clothes?" the man asked, sniffling.

Cody shook his head. "No, no, that was my brother..." he said, then his eyes grew wide. "Did he mention where he was going?"

The man looked to the side, then muttered, "I don't remember." Cody rolled his eyes.

"If I gave you five bucks would you remember?" he asked breathlessly, holding out a five dollar bill. The man looked to his sides again and grabbed the money.

"Bevard street."

Cody thanked him and took off to the bus stop across the street.

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Traffic seemed heavier than usual as James was weaving in and out of the lanes with his sirens blaring. His head was spinning from the information he had received only 10 minutes earlier, and right now, all he could think about was making sure Zack was safe. He called Carey and Kurt several times, but neither had picked up their phones. He also tried the front desk of the hotel in hopes of reaching Mr. Moseby. But, of course, he was on a lunch break.

He finally reached the hotel, parking the front of his car on the sidewalk. He tore into the building and noticed Mr. Moseby walking by, sipping on some coffee.

"Moseby!" he shouted, running towards the hotel manager. Moseby, so startled by the outburst, dropped his mug.

"What is the meaning of this, officer?" he asked bitterly, wiping his coffee-stained suit with his hands.

"Have you seen Zack?" he asked breathlessly.

"No, and right now I..." but James didn't wait for him to finish. He raced to the elevator, which had just opened up. Upon reaching the 23rd floor, he ran down to Carey's suite and began to pound on the door.

"James?"

James turned around and saw Kurt staring at him, confused.

"Kurt! Have you seen Zack?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, he was hanging out at the park earlier. Why?" Kurt asked.

"I mean recently...is he around now?" James pressed. The door opened with a tired looking Carey on the other side.

"James?" she asked sleepily. James pushed his way into the suite, followed by Kurt.

"Carey, are the boys here?" he asked, looking around the room.

"I don't know, I was asleep..." she said, yawning.

James noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table and snatched it up. He opened the paper and read it quickly, swearing under his breath and holding his head in his hands.

"James, what's wrong?" Carey asked, fully awake now and very frightened.

James ran a hand through his hair and read the note aloud:

_Mom, I'm going to stop Zack from making a big mistake. I can't explain right now, but everything you need is on my bed. Give it to James. Love Cody._

Kurt walked swiftly into the twins' bedroom, followed by James and Carey, and noticed a small stack of papers and pictures.

It was everything that Felix had sent Zack over the last few months.

James looked at Carey, who was begining to tremble. "Call Lieutenant Brooks and tell him to send someone over here to collect these papers. I'm going to find Zack and Cody," he said in the strongest voice he could muster.

"I'm coming with you."

James turned around and looked at Kurt. His gut was telling him to say no, but the determined look on this father's face overpowered every other feeling.

"Come on, then," James said, quickly making his way out the door and down the stairs.

"Where do we start?" Kurt called as the two ran down the steps to the Lobby.

"The last letter said to call at 1 pm today. We need to find someone that might have seen Zack or Cody around that time!" James said, walking out the front doors and around the side of the building. "Hey, Norman!" he called, gesturing for the doorman to come over, which he did. "Did you see Zack or Cody use that payphone any time today?" he asked, pointing to the payphone. Norman shook his head, and Kurt cursed loudly.

"I seen some kids on the phone before."

Kurt and James both squinted down the alley and noticed a man coming out of the shade of the building.

"What did they look like?" James asked.

"Blonde. Brothers, I guess," the man said, scratching his chin.

"Did they say where they were going?" James asked impatiently. The man seemed to think about it for a moment and held his hand out.

"Can't remember, really..." he began, and Kurt lunged at him, pinning him against the wall.

"Hey...!" the homeless man began, but Kurt cut him off.

"If you don't tell me where my boys went in the next three seconds, I'm going to rip your heart out with my teeth!" Kurt growled dangerously. The man's eyes grew wide.

"OK, OK! They were headed to Bevard street! Let me down!" he pleaded. Kurt let go and the man fell to the ground. Then he scrambled to his feet and ran down the alley as quickly as he could and out of sight. Kurt turned around and looked at James.

"Well, that's one way to do it," James said, and they sprinted towards James' squad car.

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The breeze was gently blowing through the trees, creating the only source of noise besides the occasional singing bird. The bus stopped half a mile up the road and Zack had been walking swiftly towards his destination, unable to enjoy such a beautiful day. In fact, nothing in Zack's life seemed beautiful anymore.

Once in view of the warehouse Zack began to feel stifled, despite the cool breeze. He went over the instructions again in his head; he was to bring the diamond to the room marked "maintenance" which was on the second floor. "OK, not hard," he thought, walking through the doors.

He was wrong.

"Crap," he said out loud. The house had looked run down from the outside, but the inside was a complete disaster. Broken glass and fallen debris were scattered all over the floor; partly unhinged, the rusted metal doors lay crooked against the walls; and above, parts of the ceiling had rotted and created holes in which Zack could see onto the second story.

Not to mention the place looked like a maze, and he didn't have a map.

"Stairs," he said, looking wildly around while clutching his backpack tightly with his left hand. He started walking to the right, going through a few door frames while being careful not to touch anything. After walking down a long hallway, he turned a corner and found himself in a large open space. Zack noticed enormous, rusted fans along the outer walls, enclosing what looked like a workshop. There were rows of benches lined up throughout the room with old tools and rotting wood sitting neatly on them. And there was a platform that stretched from one end of the room to the other, closed in by a railing, that rose above the benches at the far end of the room.

"This isn't it," Zack mumbled as he turned to walk out. Then he heard something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Zack!"

Zack closed his eyes. "No, no, no," he said as the sweat began to form on his brow. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder.

It was Cody.

"Zack, why didn't you tell me?" Cody asked desperately. Zack opened his eyes to stare at his brother's face.

"You can't be here," he whispered roughly. Cody looked determined.

"You shouldn't be here either!" he yelled, and Zack put his hand over his brother's mouth.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed, guiding Cody behind one of the benches and crouching down. "He'll hear you!"

Cody pushed Zack's hand from his mouth. "I found everything. The letters, the pictures...you could have told me! You _should_ have told James!"

Zack shook his head. "No, he would have killed you. I've done all this for you, Cody. You can't be here! I almost lost you once before, and I can't go through that again!" He felt the hot tears spilling down his cheeks as a knot formed in his throat.

"Zack, I want you to listen to me," Cody said fiercely, grabbing Zack's face in his hands and looking him in the eye. "When Felix pointed that gun at you the day of the robbery, all I could think about was how I couldn't live without you. When I was in that hospital bed, all I wanted to do was wake up so you didn't have to hurt anymore. And now, you've been in all this pain and I haven't been able to do a damn thing about it!" He paused as his voice cracked, then continued. "I feel like I don't even know you, Zack. But I will never leave you."

Zack stared at Cody's tear-stained face and felt the knot in his throat begin to disappear. He couldn't explain the feeling he had at that moment, but he knew that he could trust Cody's words.

"Lets get out of here," he whispered, watching relief spread across Cody's face.

But it was too late.

As they stood, Zack heard the click of a gun and a voice that made his blood run cold.

"Where's my diamond, Zackey-boy?"

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OK, I'm posting it. I don't know how I feel about it, but I'm posting it.

Please review!


	16. Break right through it

Alright everyone, this is it: the final showdown. Thank you to all my readers and especially to my reviewers. You've made this all worth it. I hope you'll check out the fic I'm writing with **Sillvermedal**, "Kill the Messenger", posted under her account.

And thank you **Sillvermedal **and **In NYC **for listening to me whine and moan about this story for as long as I did. You're the best.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own TSL.

**Chapter 16**

_**Break right through it**_

James swerved through the backroads, sirens blaring, with a stonefaced Kurt sitting next to him, holding onto the handle on the car door. It was lunch hour and he decided to bypass the main roads in order to avoid traffic. He also called for backup.

"How much longer?" Kurt asked when James put his radio down, the lack of emotion apparent in his tone.

"Maybe five more minutes," James replied.

"What's on Bevard street, anyway?" Kurt asked, gripping the handle tighter as James made a very sharp right turn.

"Lots of old buildings. Pretty much abandoned."

"How do we know where to look?"

"Well, there's an old cabinet factory on that road," James said, running a red light and almost hitting an older man in the process. "Been abandoned for about 10 years, so it's a perfect building for carrying out whatever Felix is planning."

Kurt glanced in his side mirror and watched the old man make an obscene gesture towards the car. "How do you know that's where they are? You just said there were a lot of abandoned buildings, they could be in any one of them. Why pick the most obvious one?"

"When you've been a cop for almost 13 years, you just know. The perps are usually pretty predictable on their hideouts of choice," James answered, turning off his sirens as they neared their destination. "It's what happens _after_ you find them that's the unpredictable part."

Kurt swallowed hard. Hopefully they would be able to get his boys out of harm's way _before_ the unpredictable part.

Hopefully.

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The voice sent shivers down Zack's spine. He and Cody looked up at the catwalk to see Felix, who was looming over them with a gun pointed directly at their heads. Instinctively, Zack stepped in front of his brother as memories of the robbery quickly flashed in his mind, including the image of Cody lying on the floor of the lobby, covered in blood.

Talk about déjà vu.

"Did you bring the diamond?" Felix growled loudly, nodding towards Zack's backpack.

Zack's feeling of defiance began to overpower his fear. "Let Cody go and I'll give you the diamond," he said with all the courage he could muster. Felix laughed; that crazy, maniacal laugh that had plagued Zack's dreams since the day he met the crazed sociopath.

"I ain't lettin no one go, kid. Now gimme the diamond!" He cocked the gun with a _click._

That's when they heard the sirens.

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James was frantically waving his arms at a police car that came bounding towards him, sirens blaring. The car stopped, turned off the sirens, and a young rookie stepped out.

"Are you crazy, John!" James hissed. "I told everyone _no sirens_!" John looked terrified.

"I'm sorry, Peters, I forgot that--"

_Bang! Bang!_

Gunshots.

James twisted his head around just in time to watch Kurt take off towards the warehouse.

"Kurt!" he yelled, running after him. He turned his head and bellowed to the officers behind him, "I want back up on any and all possible exits!"

Still running, he heard two more shots.

He prayed he wasn't too late.

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"You sold me out!" Felix howled, pointing his gun straight at Cody's head. Zack's eyes grew wide and he quickly yanked his brother out of the way as Felix fired.

_Bang! Bang!_

The two boys rolled onto the floor and scrambled behind one of the work benches.

_Bang! Bang!_

"You little bastards!" Felix yelled, shooting at the benches.

Cody covered his head against the splinters that were flying in every direction and cried, "What now?"

Zack looked wildly around the room for a way out, noting that there were two options. There was the door in which they came in, towards the left, and a broken window which was to the right of the work benches. The distance from the work benches to the door was too far; they would never make it in time with Felix shooting above them. The distance to the window was fairly close, but it was still risky. Zack made up his mind.

"Cody, I want you to get out of here, alright? I'll distract him while you run to the window," he whispered, wincing as Felix took another shot while chanting, "Come out, come out wherever you are, you little _brats_!"

"You can't be serious?" Cody asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"Cody..." Zack began, but Cody cut him off.

"Just shut up, Zack! I'm not leaving! How about _I_ distract him and _you_ get out?" he spat.

_Bang!_

"No!" Zack yelled.

"Then you can't ask me to sacrifice _your_ life if you won't let me do the same for you! We both go, or we both stay, end of story!"

Zack stared into his brother's determined eyes. Frustrated, he said, "Look, I'll follow you after you get out! I run faster, anyway..." Cody shushed him.

"Hear that?" he asked, putting his arm across Zack's chest and leaning his head around the bench.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything," Zack said.

"Exactly," Cody said nervously. "Where'd the trigger-happy psycho go?"

Zack poked his head around their hiding place and glanced up at the catwalk.

No Felix.

His felt his stomach sinking. "Let's go, NOW!" he whispered harshly, grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him towards the broken window.

_Click._

The twins stopped dead in their tracks, paralyzed with fear.

"Diamond...Now," Felix snarled.

Zack turned, again standing in front of his silently protesting brother. Just then, his eye caught something at the door.

James.

Zack bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from yelling out as James put his forefinger to his lips to silence him.

"You'll never get out of here, Felix, the cops will have this place completely surrounded," Zack said, trying to buy his brother and himself more time.

Felix shrugged it off. "I know the secrets of this place, kid. I got a way out. Gimme the diamond, or I pump lead into your snotty little brother, there."

Zack felt Cody's body rise up defiantly against his back, ready to say something he shouldn't. He elbowed him lightly against the stomach, which made him back off.

He looked at Felix and gulped, holding out the backpack. Felix snatched it from his hands and opened it, smiling greedily at his prize. With a nod of his head, he pointed his gun at Zack and clicked his tongue against his teeth.

"It's been fun, Zack-o." Zack opened his mouth to yell but nothing came out.

"Drop the gun, Felix!"

Felix spun around, surprised, giving the twins the advantage. Zack pushed Cody towards the window, screaming, "Go!" As he began to follow, he felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder blade. He cried out, dropping to his knees and, with blurry vision, saw his brother falter and turn, looking fearfully in his direction.

Rough hands grabbed his bad arm as the feeling of cold metal dug into his temple. He hissed in pain.

"Drop the gun, Felix, it's over," James said, keeping his gun trained on the crazed lunatic.

"You think I'm stupid? I ain't like Artie, Detective. I got more brains then he did." Felix yanked on Zack's arm and pushed the gun harder into his skin. He quickly glanced over at Cody, fearfully wondering if he was going to try and do something heroic. But Cody was standing perfectly still, watching the scene before him.

James still held his gun in Felix's direction. "You mean your getaway crew? They've been aprehended, Felix. All seven of them." Zack dared to look at Felix's face and noticed his eyes flash...was it fear? But a second later it was gone, and the madman's fingers curled tighter against his arm.

"Let him go," James said quietly.

Felix let out a deafening wail and aimed the gun towards James. Zack closed his eyes.

_Bang!_

_Bang! Bang!_

He was pushed to the floor.

He heard his brother calling his name.

"Zack! Dad!"

_Dad?_

Zack opened his eyes and saw James holding onto his arm, which was bleeding. He watched as his father pushed himself off the floor, next to a seemingly lifeless Felix. Then he felt his brother taking his face into his hands.

"Zack, are you alright?" he asked breathlessly.

Zack shrugged his shoulders and felt a pain shoot through his arm. "Ah!" he cried, grabbing his left shoulder. He saw his father jogging towards him, and heard James talking on his radio.

"We're fine, but we need paramedics. Zack's hurt...no, not lifethreatening, and I've been shot...No, no, in the arm. It's like a maze, but just take a right at the first door and go all the way down the hall and to the left. And Felix is dead, Ed."

Zack blinked back tears of relief. _"Felix is dead, Ed." _Those were the most comforting words he ever could have heard.

As Cody walked over to James, Kurt bent down beside Zack and wiped the hair out of his eyes.

"You ok, bud?" he asked soothingly. Zack nodded.

"What happened?" he asked, hearing some voices shouting from a distance.

"Well, I was trying to knock you out of the way of the gunfire, and..." Kurt began, noticing James listening intently to something.

"Do you hear that hissing?" James whispered, looking towards the wall. Zack looked around and squinted at a pipe that had a bullethole in it. He pointed.

James' eyes grew wide and he screamed, "Get out of here, now!"

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"Alright, James, we'll see you in a few minutes."

Ed put down his radio and turned towards Carey, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"And?" Carey asked with a shaky voice.

"Zack got a little banged up, but he's going to be fine. Felix is dead," he explained, holding out his arms to steady the frantic mother standing before him.

"My baby," she said quietly, putting her hand on her chest. "What about..."

But she never had the chance to finish her question.

On the far side of the building, there was a loud bang, then the sound of something crashing.

Carey gripped her stomach and mumbled, "Oh, God..."

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Zack's head was throbbing. Maybe, he thought, his brain was trying to push itself out through his ears. Or maybe it had already fallen out and this was the feeling you had when you were left with all that room inside your head. It didn't help that people were yelling in all different directions.

He blinked a few times and saw the crumbling wall on the other side of the room.

_"Great, the wall exploded. As if this day couldn't get any worse," _he thought, rubbing the knot on the back of his head. He turned to the side and saw his father sitting next to him, rubbing his own head. A few feet away, he saw James hovering over Cody, who had a bright red gash on his cheek.

"Zack, you ok?" Kurt asked, looking him over.

"Peachy," Zack groaned, sitting up. Kurt chuckled.

"I'm going to look at Cody, I'll be right back." Zack nodded.

He shakily rose to his feet and coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to try and clear the rising dust. His legs felt like jello. As he was trying to clear his head, all he could hear was the awful sound of bending metal, which was doing nothing for his pounding head. He slowly glanced up to figure out what the sound was.

One of the giant metal fans was creeping off the wall, slowly making its way toward the area where Zack was standing.

_"Move, jello legs!"_ he yelled at himself, though the words never left his lips and his legs never moved.

Until he felt someone push him out of the way.

"DAD!" he screamed, falling to the floor in time to watch the giant, rusted piece of metal knock his father off his feet.

"Dad!" he yelled again, fighting his way across the floor to where his father was lying, bleeding.

"NO!" he heard Cody cry.

Zack made it to his father's side and noticed his short, ragged breathing. "Dad, why did you do that?" he whispered as hot tears spilled down his cheeks.

Kurt gasped and put his hand on Zack's face. "I love you, buddy...te...tell...Cody..." He choked.

"No, Dad, you're gonna be fine," Zack squeaked, burrying his face into his father's neck. He felt Cody throw himself against them.

"Dad," he said, wrapping his arms around Zack's neck.

Kurt looked into the faces of his two boys and smiled softly, taking his last breath.

He was gone.

"No, no, no," Zack mumbled, crying into Cody's shoulder. He sat that way for a few minutes, ignoring the shouting that was going on around him, until a strong arm around him and his brother lifted them up and began guiding them away from his father's body.

"No, Dad...no," he whispered.

"Come with me, Zack."

Zack looked up and saw James, his face stained with tears. He was leading them to one of the paramedics.

"What about Dad?"

"They'll take good care of him, Zack, I promise," James said quietly.

As the emptiness inside of Zack's chest seemed to be growing bigger every second, a small piece of himself knew he could trust James' words.

After all, they were the only thing he had left to hold on to.

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Alright everyone, that's it!

Haha, no, I actually have an eiplogue that I'm going to post either tonight or sometime this weekend. Don't worry, I won't completely end it there.

Please review!


	17. Destination: beautiful

**Epilogue**

_**Destination: beautiful**_

One Year Later

"I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you before now. I guess I was just too upset. That's no excuse, and I know it. But I still wanna tell you what happened. I don't know if anyone already did, but I thought you should hear it from me anyway.

"After...you know...everything...well, I had a dislocated shoulder and a slight concussion, and Cody needed some stitches, and James needed surgery on his arm to remove the bullet. Mom was crying like crazy. She was...happy, sad, relieved? All of them, I think.

"I talked to Lieutenant Brooks, too. Told him everything. Then I talked to London, to try and explain myself. That was one of the hardest things I had to do. She said she didn't want to press charges, that she understood _why_ I did what I did...but she doesn't look at me the same anymore. The trust is gone.

"And Maddie doesn't hate me. I apologized for treating her the way I did. I...you know, I don't know why I was so angry with her. She was only trying to help Cody when I couldn't be there for him. I guess I let my jealousy get in the way of reality.

"And James...James has been great...really great. He's always there for us, all of us. And Cody's been trying to get James to ask Mom out, it's really entertaining to watch..."

"Hey, Zack?"

Zack stopped talking and turned around when he heard James' low voice behind him.

"The cemetery closes in about 10 minutes. I'll be over by the gate, so just come on back when you're finished, alright?" James said quietly. Zack nodded, then turned back to the headstone he was kneeling next to as James walked back down the path.

"Dad, I miss you...more than I've ever missed anyone, and I want you to know that," he said, wiping his damp eyes. "I was such a coward, Dad. Everything that happened, it's my fault. If I never yelled at Cody that day...with the whole robbery...and the letters...

"But I've changed, Dad, I've grown up. I've taken responsibility for my actions. And I know I can't change what happened...I want to, believe me...But I can be a better person. And I _am_ a better person, because of you. I love you, Dad."

Taking one last look at his father's grave, Zack stood up and began walking towards James' car.

And for the first time in over a year, he didn't look over his shoulder.


End file.
